And suddenly, Jason Statham's remake of Charles Bronson's 1972 hitman flick, The Mechanic has piqued my interest. Not that the idea of Statham tackling a role I think he was born to play wasn't enough, but the project has been sorta under the radar lately, leading me to believe that there wasn't a lot of confidence behind it. Well I can quiet that noise now. Collider is reporting that Ben Foster(Alpha Dog, Pandorum) and Donald Sutherland(too many films to name!) have signed on to co-star.
The original film, which starred Bronson is a hitman who takes on a protege, is famous for it's 16 minute dialogue-free opening, which showcases the main character prepping for his next hit. Foster, who I've been a big fan of ever since Flash Forward(yes, I watched the Disney Channel briefly for this show only! It's where I fell in love with Jewel Staite) has grown into one of Hollywood's most reliable actors. I never thought I'd see him standing side by side with such heavyweights as Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Bruce Willis, and Dennis Quaid. The dude's got the goods, and his addition to this film is a showstopper, in my opinion. The less said about his role as Angel in X3, the better.
The only problem? Simon West is directing. He's not the worst in the world, but when one takes a gander at his resume which includes When a Stranger Calls and Tomb Raider, it's easy to sour on the whole deal. He can only do so much damage, right? Let's hope not.
