Action icon Jason Statham has become well-renowned for flying the flag for old-school genre fare, and there is nothing more old-school than the action thriller sequel that’s now headed for free streaming. Known for playing mysterious former assassins and killers, The Stath does what he does best once again in this 98-minute action thriller effort that could have leaped out of the 1980s.
The Stath Is an Assassin With a Particular Skill
Starring Jason Statham in the kind of role he has become renowned for, a former assassin in hiding, the action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection picks up after the first The Mechanic, a remake of the 1972 film of the same name starring Charles Bronson. Released a decade ago, Mechanic: Resurrection finds Arthur Bishop (Statham), an assassin with a skill for making his kills look like accidents, attempting to live a quiet life away from violence.
But no one would be particularly entertained just watching The Stath relax, so he quickly finds himself dragged back into the fray when an old enemy (Sam Hazeldine) kidnaps the woman (Jessica Alba) he loves. To save her life, Bishop must kill an imprisoned African warlord, a human trafficker (Toby Eddington), and an arms dealer (Tommy Lee Jones), all while making the deaths look like accidents. When things don’t go exactly as planned, Bishop turns the tables on the people who forced him out of retirement.
Mechanic: Resurrection was met with largely negative reviews from critics and stands at a decaying 28% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the first movie’s 54%. However, it saw huge success at the box office, grossing $125 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million, leaving its predecessor’s $76.3 million well and truly in the dust.
‘The Mechanic’ Director Wants To Make a Third Movie
While the Mechanic sequel was not as well-received as its predecessor, it still boasts several hard-hitting fight sequences and shootouts with The Stath at the center, as well as some inventive kills, including the vertigo-inducing use of a high-rise swimming pool.
Following the box office success, one wonders what exactly is going on with The Mechanic 3. Both the character and the concept are ripe for more sequels, and while nothing is currently in the works, speaking exclusively with MovieWeb last year, director Simon West, who helmed the Statham vehicles The Expendables 2, Wild Card, and The Mechanic, says he’d love to reunite with The Stath and is “sure” they will do something again in the future.
“I mean, I’ve done three movies with Jason, and we always enjoy working with each other. And I think, you know, we’re both proud of the films we did together. So every now and again, you know, there’ll be something that comes up and I think, “Oh, Jason might like this.” And if, if you know he’s available or is interested, he hasn’t done something like it, we would definitely talk about it. So I’m sure we’ll do something in the future together, because we really enjoy working together. It’s just got to be the right thing for both of us.”
While we await Statham’s return as Arthur Bishop, the action superstar is all set to return for a sequel in his other assassin-centered franchise, The Beekeeper 2, which is all set to buzz into theaters courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios on Jan. 15, 2027.
