Simon West directs Jason Statham, Ben Foster and Tony Goldwyn in this action thriller where a precision hitman, who can kill his targets without the murder being detected, takes on a troubled protege.

Hard edged, set in some semblance of the real world, sad. After Crank and The Transporter, The Stath went through a slightly somber period. Still making action thrillers where asses are whupped, everything explodes and kills a plenty. Yet also a subset of films that felt less gimmicky, less comic book-y. The plots had emotional hinges, Jase was expected to add a bit more with his sullen physicality than spit out one liners with gravelly voiced cool. Up until the recent Wrath Of Man, this held the title as Statham’s best non-silly one. The violence is constant after the first half hour and pretty exacting. The relationship between Statham and Foster has a grimy, uncertain vibe to it. You would almost say they have sexual chemistry together if it wasn’t for a couple of heterosexual one night stands crowbarred in for each lead so we don’t question the “professionalism” of the close partnership. Anyway, the swimming pool opener, the huge man first assignment and the hotel escape are as about as good as none CGI action got this decade… at least until John Wick. No idea why the cinematography is so constantly orange though?

7

Perfect Double Bill: The Mechanic (1971)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/