The Mechanic (2011)
The Mechanic is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by Simon West, starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, James Logan, Mini Andén, Jeff Chase, and Christa Campbell. Written by Lewis John Carlino and Richard Wenk, it is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name. Statham stars as Arthur Bishop, a professional assassin who specializes in making his hits look like accidents, suicides, or the acts of petty criminals. It was released in the U.S. and Canada on January 28, 2011 to mixed reviews. A sequel, Mechanic: Resurrection, was released on August 26, 2016.
Plot.
Hitman Arthur Bishop sneaks into the home of a Colombian cartel boss and drowns him in his own pool. Upon returning home to Louisiana, he meets with his friend and mentor Harry McKenna, who pays Bishop for his work. Bishop is then assigned to kill Harry. Bishop’s employer Dean confirms by phone that the contract is correct, whereupon Bishop requests a face-to-face meeting. Dean tells him about a failed mission in South Africa, in which several assassins were killed. Dean reveals that only he and Harry knew the details of the mission, and that Harry had been paid for the contract details. Reluctantly, Bishop kills Harry with the latter’s own gun and makes it look like a carjacking.
At the funeral, Bishop encounters Harry’s son Steve, who he stops from trying to kill a would-be carjacker in a misguided attempt at vengeance. Following this, Steve asks Bishop to train him as a hitman. Adopting a chihuahua, he instructs Steve to take the dog with him to a coffee shop each day at the same time. As Steve settles into a routine, Bishop escalates their training, taking him to observe a contract killing. The target, Burke, frequents the coffee shop and eventually invites Steve out for drinks. Bishop instructs Steve to slip a large dose of Rohypnol into Burke’s drink to cause an overdose, but Steve ignores the instructions and goes with Burke to his apartment.
Development, Casting, Filming.
Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, producers of the 1972 original Mechanic, sought to make an update. Pre-rights to the remake were sold in February 2009 at the Berlin Film Festival. (Variety reported that the screenplay was written by Karl Gajdusek.) Director Simon West and Jason Statham were announced as part of the project three months later. Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland were cast alongside Statham in October 2009. Filming began in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 14 and lasted for nine weeks. Filming locations included St. Tammany Parish, the World Trade Center in downtown New Orleans and the Algiers Seafood Market.RELATED:
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Box office.
The film grossed $11.4 million on its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada. It ended with a North American gross of $29.1 million and $47.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $76.3 million.Cast:
- Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop
- Ben Foster as Steve McKenna
- Tony Goldwyn as Dean Sanderson
- Donald Sutherland as Harry McKenna
- Jeff Chase as Burke
- John McConnell as Andrew Vaughn
- Mini Andén as Sarah
- Stuart Greer as Ralph
- Christa Campbell as Kelly
- Lance E. Nichols as Henry
- J.D. Evermore as Gun Runner
- David Leitch as Sebastian
- Mark Nutter as John Finch
- Lara Grice as Mrs. Finch
- Ada Michelle Loridans as Finch’s Daughter
- Katarzyna Wolejnio as Maria
- James Logan as Jorge Lara
- Eddie J. Fernandez as Lara’s Guard
- Joshua Bridgewater as Raymond,
- Choop as Arthur The Dog