Mechanic: Resurrection

A fairly decent followup to 2011’s The Mechanic, Mechanic: Resurrection follows Jason Statham’s Arthur Bishop as he’s blackmailed into assassinating three well-guarded figures. There’s little doubt that Mechanic: Resurrection takes a really, really long time to wholeheartedly get going, as filmmaker Dennis Gansel, working from a script by Philip Shelby and Tony Mosher, delivers an opening stretch that’s almost completely devoid of compelling, attention-grabbing elements – with the decision to stress the exploits of Jessica Alba’s generic love interest certainly compounding the movie’s less-than-engrossing vibe. And although the first of the three aforementioned kills is disappointingly by-the-numbers, Mechanic: Resurrection benefits substantially from a thoroughly captivating stretch involving Arthur’s efforts at sabotaging a roofside swimming pool. It’s a turning point that paves the way for a second half that progresses like a rocket through a series of gleefully over-the-top action sequences, with the climactic sequence, which follows Arthur as he takes on an army of goons aboard a luxury yacht, certainly ensuring that Mechanic: Resurrection ends on an impressively exhilarating note – thus confirming, when coupled with Statham’s typically compelling, charismatic work here, the film’s place as a decent sequel that could’ve been so much better.

**1/2 out of ****