THE MECHANIC (15, 92 mins) Starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, Mini Anden, Christa Campbell **

As one of Hollywood’s new generation of hard men, Jason Statham has put the pedal to the metal on numerous occasions to outmanoeuvre cops and bad guys, including high-octane chases in the Transporter films and the 2008 remake of Death Race.

The title of his latest action-packed thriller suggests the muscular British actor will be getting his knuckles dirty with more engine grease.

While Statham’s character does spend part of the film polishing and rebuilding a classic sports car, the eponymous mechanic is in fact slang for a hit man, who shoots first and growls inane lines of dialogue later.

Michael Winner’s 1972 film of the same name, pairing Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent, provides the inspiration for this predictable tale of revenge and retribution that intercuts limp banter with well-orchestrated action sequences.

Director Simon West has a proven track record with explosive popcorn fodder that doesn’t tax the brain (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider).

Here, he conceives a botched assassination attempt in a hotel and a bone-crunching fist fight that puts one of his actors through the wringer.

Arthur Bishop (Statham) is one of the best assassins in the business: Clean, efficient and completely ruthless, he kills on demand and foregoes messy personal relationships by enjoying sex with high-class prostitute Sarah (Anden).

Out of the blue, Arthur receives a call from Dean (Goldwyn), who needs the hit man to eliminate a traitor in the organisation.

The target is Arthur’s mentor, Harry (Sutherland).

Having put his feelings to one side and successfully completed his mission, Arthur crosses paths with Harry’s grief-stricken son, Steve (Foster), who implores Arthur to find his father’s killer.

Consumed with guilt, Arthur decides to take on Steve as an apprentice, training him in the art of assassination.

Alas, the newcomer’s impetuosity and fiery temperament make him a major liability.

The Mechanic is everything you expect from a film bearing Statham’s name: Loud, simplistic and bruising for a brawl.

The leading man isn’t saddled with too much demanding dialogue, leaving Foster to deliver something close to a three-dimensional performance.

They dispatch Sutherland’s rogue in a wheelchair with little fanfare then signpost the glaringly-obvious deception that will set Arthur and Steve on a collision course to self-destruction.