The Mechanic

The Mechanic is Statham at his most lethal and efficient: a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film about a hitman who takes his latest target’s son under his wing as an apprentice. Ben Foster’s volatile protege provides genuine tension — you never know when he’ll go off the rails — and Simon West’s direction is clean and unfussy. The kills are creative (a staged drowning, a honey-trap assassination), the pacing is tight at 93 minutes, and the final twist lands. Statham’s stone-faced professionalism carries the film through its thinner moments, and Foster’s unpredictability provides the spark. A solid, workmanlike action thriller.