The Mechanic (2011)

Good judgement comes from experience.  Experience comes from exercising bad judgement.  I was glad to see a version of this, one of my favorite old quotes, in this movie.  I remember seeing the original with Charles Bronson when I was a kid.  This is a worthy remake.

Jason Statham plays the top dog assassin amongst a company set up hire out their services.  When the company president tricks him into killing his best friend and mentor, Statham's character takes his revenge.  Bronson played this character back in the 70's and Statham is as quietly confident and efficient as the original.  Well played.

Ben Foster steps up his range a notch while still managing to play the loser trying to make good. Donald Sutherland is warm and fuzzy as the mentor and friend.  The rest of the cast fit well and play nice together.  Ha.

With only a few continuity and factual problems, this movie is fast-moving and often suspenseful.

Watch this movie with someone who think vengeance is their mission.

The Punisher

One of you recently suggested to me that I check out this series given my taste for graphic comics made into movies. I had never heard of The Punisher comic so I had no interest in the movie. Thank you for the tip however. This movie has all the features of a classic comic gone action movie.

You have over-acting. You have comic relief. You have a central hero who is likable. You have a wealth of events Mythbusters can prove impossible. So if that is not your thing, don't watch this movie. On the other hand...

Thomas Jane, who was great as Mickey Mantle in 61*, is enjoyable in this role as the tragically heroic central character. He is just human enough, just vulnerable enough, and certainly buff enough to pull the role off.

There are some great names in the supporting cast too: John Travolta as the uber bad guy target of this episode's punishments, Roy Scheider as the gunsmitthing father of our hero, Rebecca Romijn as the sexy neighbor angel, Will Patton as the main bad guy's doer-of-dirty-deeds, with Ben Foster and John Pinette as the goofy but loyal neighbors.

This movie is admittedly not for everyone, but for those who like a good graphic comic brought to life this is a worthy effort. Thank you again for the suggestion.

Watch this with plenty of popcorn and a friend to enjoy the ride.