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.

Kelly's Heros (1970)

Chronologically the second movie in the "Clint" DVD boxed set, this set the bar very high for the buddy/ensemble comedies. Forty years ago somebody had a fun idea - take some of the biggest stars around and put them all in a movie together. That formula still works most of the time.

Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, and Gavin MacLeod play a very different band of brothers. This group is scheming to steal $16 million in gold from the German army and keeping the American army from finding out about it. A near perfect crime.

You have comedy of course with some great one-liners from the king of the zingers Mr. Rickles. There is some action, some battle scenes, and some great dialogues between flamboyant characters.

Watch this movie with someone who does not take their war movies too seriously.

Space Cowboys

Clint Eastwood stars in and directs this very fun story based on the old axiom "Age and treachery with always overcome youth and vigor".

With the popularity of Senator John Glenn's geriatric space experiments in 1998 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, timing of Space Cowboys was perfect.

Eastwood was able to bring huge talent to the project with the expected magical results.

Tommy Lee Jones (Coal Miner's Daughter, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Fugitive) plays yet another role he seemed born to play. A very touching scene sums it up for him late in the film when he lovingly compares himself to an aging aircraft. This type of writing and acting is throughout the movie. Each character has a Hollywood moment.

Donald Sutherland (Kelly's Heroes, M*A*S*H, Backdraft, and Kiefer's father) plays the role every man over 60 dreams of. He is an uber-hip ex-astronaut who designs roller coasters. Who would not want this guy as a Grandfather?

James Garner (The Great Escape, Support Your Local Sheriff, and Victor Victoria) rounds the group of senior ex-jet-jockeys brought back into service to save the planet from sure destruction from antiquated nuclear weapons in decaying earth orbit.

Marcia Gay Harden (First Wives Club, Meet Joe Black, and recently Into the Wild) adds enough feminine touch to the main character group to keep things in balance.

Other names of note who come and go in the story are James Cromwell, Blair Brown, Jay Leno, William Devane, Loren Dean, and Rade Serbedijza.

Watch it with someone who is older and wiser.