Blu-ray

The Mechanic isn’t a film about the trials and tribulations of a wannabe Kwik-Fit fitter. It’s actually a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson movie of the same name, with HCC favourite Jason Statham taking over as the burly bloke who makes his living ‘fixing things’ (by killing people). With its undemanding student-teacher story and its predictable twists, the film doesn’t add anything to the genre that you won’t find in numerous straight-to-DVD flicks. But The Mechanic does offer up some great action and the chance to see Statham kicking ass again – which should keep fans happy for a couple of hours.

Picture: Initial impressions of The Mechanic’s AVC 2.40:1 1080p encode aren’t great. The colours and contrast in the opening sequence have been tweaked so much that it’s impossible to get a grip on detailing or black levels. Thankfully, after this it settles down to a more traditional, gritty look backed up by the usual orange and teal colour scheme that Hollywood colourists seem to love these days. From here on it’s a much more impressive visual experience with noticeably excellent detailing and rich colour reproduction throughout.
Picture rating: 4/5

Audio: The Mechanic’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is a real mixed bag. On the plus side, it’s full of all the usual acoustic thrills you’d associate with an action picture including booming bass, an aggressive midrange and controlled use of the surround channels to create a convincing three-dimensional soundscape. Unfortunately, the dialogue in some scenes is buried incredibly quietly in the mix, forcing you to either turn it up even louder (not necessarily a good thing for your speakers) or to turn the subtitles on.
Audio rating: 3/5

Extras: While it’s no classic, The Mechanic certainly deserves better than the miserly collection of extras assembled here. All that’s on offer are the trailer, a ridiculously short behind-the-scenes featurette entitled Tools of the Trade: Inside the Action and five Deleted Scenes (that actually turn out to be four extended scenes and an alternate – not to mention superior – ending to the opening sequence). On the plus side, the extra scenes and featurettes are presented at 1080p.
Extras rating: 1/5

We say: This routine action flick scores some great visuals, but the audio is hit-and-miss and the extras virtually non-existent.

Momentum Pictures, Region B BD, £20 approx, On sale now 
HCC VERDICT: 3/5