Having faked his death and left life as a contract killer behind, Arthur Bishop (Statham) has settled down to a quiet life in Brazil. One day in a restaurant, he is approached by associates of his sworn enemy Riah Crain (Sam Hazeldine), who threaten to expose the fact that Arthur isn’t dead if he refuses to perform three jobs for Crain in exchange for their silence. Retreating to his home in Thailand, Bishop is drawn to a beautiful woman named Gina (Jessica Alba), who runs a school for children in Cambodia. She is kidnapped and if Bishop ever wants to see her alive again, he must take care of three killings for Crain. On the clock and under constant surveillance, Bishop must spring into action, kicking ass and taking names. There’s lots of high-flying stunts, but nothing we haven’t seen Statham do before.
Statham has proven to be charismatic in the past and deserves credit for trying here. However, the plot is so goofy and downright ridiculous, no amount of charismatic or conviction could lift it above pure cheese. Given some of the more ridiculous moments, Mechanic: Resurrection might have fared better if it had been marketed as a comedy. Tommy Lee Jones turns up in the third act as Max Adams, a rich, reclusive, pajama-wearing looney with several earrings and a soul patch. A real change of pace for the normally craggy Oscar winner, he’s genuinely funny here, even if perhaps he saw it as a quick paycheck. It was Jones’ character that left me wanting more, not Statham’s.
Mechanic: Resurrection does nothing to breathe new life into the series. Aside from a few interesting action beats, it’s a rather pointless exercise, albeit with some beautiful location shots, that if not for the actors involved, might be considered strictly B-movie material.
Presented in the 2:40.1 aspect ratio, this 4K transfer looks excellent. The exotic locales–beaches, sand, palm trees, island vegetation–look stunning. Detail is top notch, whether it be textures or the stubble on Jason Statham’s face. The depth of field appears endless and characters shine against the rich, deep backdrops. Black levels are dialed in nicely. The colors here are brilliant. Rich, vibrant and lifelike throughout, everything pops, be it flesh tones or beach sand. While I saw some minor source noise in the blue sky at the beginning, there are no major artifacts to report.
The Dolby Atmos track is energetic, providing a sense of full immersion throughout. Whether it be heavy action scenes, or ambient environmental sounds, everything moves through the surrounds with a sense of realism. Both dialogue and Mark Isham’s score are clean and clear. Dynamic range is extremely wide and fidelity is superb. This track presents no issues of concern.
English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are included.
The following extras are available:
- Engineering the Sequel – Inside Mechanic: Resurrection (HD, 9:55) In this standard EPK, cast and crew discuss the locations, filming, stunts and more.
- Scoring the Action Film with Mark Isham (HD, 9:00) Isham discusses the process of scoring the film.
- The Malaysian Prison (HD, 1:22) A brief look at the prison scene in the film.
- Michelle Yeoh, Secret Ally (HD, 1:14) A brief profile of the actress.
- Statham on Stunts (HD, 1:23) Jason Statham discusses the stunts in the film.
- DVD
- Digital HD
- UltraViolet
