By Lee Pfeiffer
With the creative cycle of much of the film industry set permanently on "rewind", it hardly comes as a surprise as yet another ill-fated remake is in the works. Just when you managed to digest the news that an Americanized remake of Sam Peckinpah's classic Straw Dogs is about to be filmed, comes word that another vibrant action film from 1971 is also about to be massacred. This time, it's Michael Winner's The Mechanic which memorably dealt with a ruthless killer for hire who trains a young protege, with some disturbing complications arising. Winner's film was not a work of art, but it was top-flight entertainment sustained by the chemistry between Bronson and Jan Michael Vincent. The producers of the original are the culprits behind this version which will be directed by Simon West and star Jason Statham in the Bronson role. Statham is the star of the critically maligned Transporter films and is all of 36 years-old. Since the crux of the original story centered on the dynamics between two men of distinctly different ages, we guess they are culling the ranks of day care centers to find someone to play the younger assassin. For more click here.
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