Review by Alyn Darnay
Directed by: Simon West (Con Air)
Starring: Jason Statham (The Transporter), Ben Foster (The Messenger, Alpha Dog), Donald Sutherland (The Italian Job)
Here you go, a slam bam summer action movie, right in the middle of winter. Is there any better way to heat up the screen? Jason Statham is back tearing up the bad guys as an elite hit man in this excellent re-envisioning of the 1972 Charles Bronson/Jan-Michael Vincent film of the same name.
Arthur Bishop (Statham) is the epitome of the precision hit man; so precise is he that you never know he’s been there, his targets always appear to have met an accidental death. When his mentor Harry (Sutherland) meets an untimely death, at his hands, Bishop’s quietly ordered life is turned upside down and he winds up seeking vengeance against the assassination corporation who ordered up the hit. Joining him in this quest is Harry’s son, Steve (Foster), who pleads with Arthur to teach him the business in the same way he was taught.
What follows is mayhem, destruction, double crosses, and lots of expended bullet casings. Simon West shows us that he still knows how to keep the action coming, and it’s non-stop. Between the high-tech and low-tech assassinations, the steamy sex scenes, and the cat and mouse game subplot, there’s so much testosterone flying around you’ll grow a beard just watching the movie.
If you’re an action fan you’re going to like this film; it’s not “Gone with the Wind”, but it does keep you moving along with it. It’s a great winter’s night diversion.
