"Mechanic: Resurrection" Review by Tim Hellman

'MECHANIC: RESURRECTION': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Sequel to the 2011 action hit 'THE MECHANIC'; which is a remake of the 1972 flick (of the same name). The film once again stars Jason Statham, as the retired hitman named Arthur Bishop (played by Charles Bronson in the original 1972 flick). In this installment, he's forced to come out of retirement and kill three criminals; in order to save the woman he loves. It was directed by German filmmaker Dennis Gansel; and it was written by Philip Shelby, Tony Mosher, Brian Pittman and Rachel Long. The film costars Jessica Alba, Sam Hazeldine, Michelle Yeoh and Tommy Lee Jones. It's received mostly negative reviews from critics (of course), but it is meeting the usual Jason Statham B-movie Box Office standards. I thought it was OK.

Arthur Bishop (Statham) has been retired, and living under a fake name in Rio de Janeiro, for some time (after faking his death in the last movie); until he's visited by a mysterious woman (Yayaying Rhatha Phongam), and some mercenaries. They want Bishop to do a job for a secret employer. He refuses, and flees to Thailand. There he meets an abused woman named Gina Thorne (Alba). He falls for her, as he learns the mysterious employer wants him to; and when she's kidnapped, he's once again forced to murder three criminals (and stage their deaths as accidents).

The movie is extremely clichéd, and horrendously cheesy (at times). It does have some decent actions scenes though, and Jason Statham doing what he does best. The celebrity supporting cast is mainly just there as extended cameos though, and their talents are wasted. I also wasn't impressed by Gansel's directing. The original remake was much better; I actually don't think I've ever seen the original 1972 film (possibly an edited version, on TBS, but I don't remember).

Summit Entertainment Announces Release Dates for "Criminal" and "The Mechanic: Resurrection"

 

Summit Entertainment recently announced the release dates for two upcoming films that will be released in 2015 and 2016. First on August 21, 2015, they will release the CIA thriller "Criminal". The film stars Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Gal Gadot and Alice Eve.

Then on January 22,2016, Jason Statham is back "The Mechanic": Resurrection" The film is the sequel to the 2011 film "The Mechanic". Joining Statham this time around are Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones and Michelle Yeoh.

"Criminal": Plot Synopsis:

From Summit Entertainment. The memories and skills of a CIA agent are implanted into the brain of a dangerous criminal in order to stop an international terrorist.

"The Mechanic: Resurrection": Plot Synopsis:

From Summit Entertainment. Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) returns as the Mechanic in the sequel to the 2011 global hit. When someone from his past forces him back into the business, Bishop has to complete an impossible list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world.

"Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" Review - Written by Jim Herling

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, written by Frank Miller and directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez, is the long-time-coming sequel to the 2005 film Sin City. And despite the long wait, it's very much more of the same: hard-boiled detective noir told in thinly connected vignettes; fun splashes of color breaking up the black and white of the rest of the movie; and characters that are both completely unbelievable and unbelievably entertaining.

So why then did the sequel feel inferior to the original for me?

Maybe it was just a little too much more of the same for me. I had hoped the intervening years in the long wait would have led to more than just a rehash of the first movie, more than just an episodic movie with the same characters. Other than Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Johnny, the heroes of the piece are all the same as the original. There's Jessica Alba's incredibly sexy stripper Nancy and the ghost of her cop lover, Bruce Willis' Hartigan. There's Dwight, played by Clive Owen in the original and Josh Brolin this time around (don't worry, it's not a case of replacement casting, although there is some replacement casting in the cases of Dennis Haysbert as a new Manute and Jamie Chung as a new deadly little Miho; there's a storyline reason for the Dwight switch mentioned in the original that makes sense and works flawlessly until they try to CGI Josh Brolin to resemble Clive Owen and then, well, shudder). And then there's Marv, played by Mickey Rourke, who is all over this movie despite having been executed in the first one. Seriously. He's the star of the opening vignette, appears in the background in Johnny's story, and plays second-fiddle to both Dwight and Nancy in their stories. The only other new main character is Eva Green's Ava, the titular Dame featured in Dwight's story, a woman who wraps both Dwight and Christopher Meloni's Mort, the only other new character worth mentioning, around her ample, umm, finger. And Powers Boothe rounds out the cast as Senator Roark, a returning villain for Johnny, Marv, and Nancy.

Aside from the sameness to the original and the over-saturation of certain characters, the CGI was another flaw for me. I already mentioned how awful and distracting the Brolin/Owens Dwight hybrid was. The color effects were also used much less efficiently than in the original. They were less of a striking contrast this time around and more just there.

But what I can't complain about is the dialogue. It's cliched and hardboiled and more than a little absurd at times, but it fits the genre perfectly. And that's the perfect summary for this movie, really. If you like the first one and/or are a fan of the genre, even though it's not as good as the original, you'll enjoy this one. I give it three stars out of five.

New "Sin City: A Dame to Kill" Stills

Dimension Films recently released two stills for the upcoming sequel "Sin City: A Dame to Kill". The film reunites Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, who together directed the very entertaining "Sin City" back in 2005. The upcoming film stars Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Rosario Dawson and Bruce Wills. "Sin City: A Dame to Kill" hits theaters on August 22nd.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at : http://sincity-2.com

Plot Synopsis:

Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's visually stunning "Sin City" graphic novels back to the screen in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more notorious inhabitants. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR is the follow up to Rodriguez and Miller's 2005 groundbreaking film, FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY.

New Character Posters for Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's Upcoming Film "Sin City: A Dame to Kill"

Dimension Films recently released character posters for the upcoming sequel "Sin City: A Dame to Kill". The film reunites Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, who together directed the very entertaining "Sin City" back in 2005. The upcoming film stars Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Rosario Dawson and Bruce Wills. "Sin City: A Dame to Kill" hits theaters on August 22nd.

For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at : http://sincity-2.com

Plot Synopsis:

Co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller reunite to bring Miller's visually stunning "Sin City" graphic novels back to the screen in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR. Weaving together two of Miller's classic stories with new tales, the town's most hard boiled citizens cross paths with some of its more notorious inhabitants. SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR is the follow up to Rodriguez and Miller's 2005 groundbreaking film, FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY.