Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2011

Simon West (Con Air) here remakes a 1972 Charles Bronson film into a competent but uninspired, morally muddled Jason Statham vehicle that further solidifies the Brit’s tough-guy typecasting. An almost mystically skilled hit man is duped by his shady, clearly untrustworthy handlers into offing his own mentor (Donald Sutherland), and goes about setting things right. Guilt causes him to take under his wing the dead man’s wayward son (Ben Foster) and teach him the assassination biz. Then they kill a lot, mostly reprehensible bad guys. Sporadically entertaining. Good acting. Violent. Explosions. Humorless.