Totally behind on my reading. I’ve got a pile of scripts here that’s growing by the second. But instead of working, I……watched CBS/MILLENNIUM’S THE MECHANIC last night. Don’t know why I bothered, I knew the film was going to be a bust when I read the script last year. You want to know why? It’s because I didn’t want to follow the lead. I couldn’t care less about his plight.
It’s a simple rule. YOU’VE GOT TO CARE ABOUT THE LEAD. THE MECHANIC’S DOA because we don’t care enough about Jason Statham. He’s woefully underwritten. Compare this film to THE PROFESSIONAL or GROSSE POINTE BLANK. Those films are entertaining because we’re willing to follow the lead on their journey.
I don’t understand how the film got made. What was CBS’ gameplan? Release run-of-the-mill, mediocre films that are just a step above our made-for-tv movies of the week? THE BACK-UP PLAN, EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES, FASTER????? C’mon, who put this slate together? Maybe entertaining an audience wasn’t a top priority.
Ben Foster is a capable actor. The guy can play “anger” with the best of them (see ALPHA DOG). Yet, he’s simply not someone that’s going to deliver an audience. If they wanted a hit, they needed a bigger name in this role.
Jason Statham is Jason Statham. The guy is good at what he does. However, if he wants to raise his box office numbers, he’s got to find projects that’ll allow him to be more vulnerable. He can still be a lethal machine, we just need to understand why he’s become this way.
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