Gaywatch: The Mechanic (2011)
So there I was, minding my own slashy business at a friend's house, when we decide to watch a movie simply because Ben Foster is in it. This is reason enough to watch something because A. He's a damn good actor who isn't in enough damn movies and B. He's an attractive guy. I care more about A while my friend cares more about B, but that's neither here nor there.
I had no idea it was a Jason Statham movie, so when he popped up I braced myself for a couple of hours of brain dead, cinematic pain. Imagine my surprise when, not only does it turn out to be not so bad, it's got the foundation for a very intriguing slash ship.
Also, Ben's character has to play gay to catch the interest of a target.
I'm on board.
Premise: Arthur (Statham) is a professional hitman ordered to kill an old friend of his (Donald Sutherland). He goes through with it and his friend's son Steve (Foster) becomes his apprentice, not knowing that Arthur is the one who killed his dad.
Slash Potential: 6/10, but worth it.
First of all, I can understand why it has a low rating. Statham's name is synonymous with "turn off your brain and blow shit up for 90 minutes whilst having a lot of het sex" and The Mechanic is definitely different than his usual fare. Sure, there are still some action sequences, and they're well done, but there's more drama and deliberation than typical Statham fans would be expecting. So anyone who sits down to watch this movie with a "yay more 'splosions and boobies" attitude will more than likely be disappointed.
That's not to say the movie is fantastic though. It drags in places and takes a detour away from the plot for most of Act 2 to shoot things and kill people, but it's gorgeously captured, the dialogue works, the acting isn't painful, and I'll be damned if the main characters aren't compelling. Am I really talking about a Statham film? To my own surprise, yes.
Arthur's problem, as stated by Sutherland's character, is that he's without "a companion." It's an interesting way to phrase that observation. He doesn't tell Arthur to get laid, or find the right girl and settle down, he just notices that the guy's problem is a lack of companionship. But he doesn't say "friend" either.
Steve's problem is, essentially, anger. He doesn't have a short temper so much as he's just sitting on a huge reserve of anger with no way of releasing it. This unfortunate trait has left him pretty darn alone.
You can see where this is going. Arthur gets a companion and Steve has a way to let out his anger and get paid at the same time. The mentor/student aspect is there, but it develops into an odd sort of partnership. Add on the bonus suspense of not knowing when Steve is gonna find out about his dad, or how he's gonna react to it, and oh my do you have a movie.
Yeah yeah, sure sure, but what about the gay? It's wonderfully unhindered by having no pointless love interest, but there is the annoyance of both guys getting laid by different chicks at some point for absolutely no reason. Both encounters are purely, 100% random, and a really obvious bit of paranoia from the filmmakers to assure the audience that the main characters are like totally straight.
Despite that, you can imagine my expression when Arthur sets up Steve to get close to a gay hitman he's been assigned to take out. When Steve is finally let in on the whole 'oh and he's gay and you're his type' he has absolutely no issue. There's no cheap, comical "You want me to do what?!" conversation or anything of the sort. It's just another part of the job. Apparently. But there is one joke worthy of note as they keep going over the plan and how Steve is supposed to cozy up to the guy.
Steve: "You want me to kill him, not rape him, right?"
Steve then smiles and quietly laughs a little.
Obviously the moment is ambiguous at best, but in my slasher heart I will always interpret that smile/laugh as having the subtext of 'because I'm totally okay with having sex with a man.'
Sadly, Steve and the target never kiss, or even get their clothes off, but there's still some loveliness to enjoy until the whole hitman aspect rears its ugly head.
The fact that Steve had to play gay at all is big tip in the direction of Team Subtextually Canon. In 99.9% of manly action movies gayness does not exist. If, for some reason, a character pops up he'll be very camp and most likely serve as the brunt of a tacky joke or two. But a tall, non-flamboyant, gay hitman (the target, I mean) whose involvement is both seriously portrayed and necessary to the plot is another story entirely. In this movie world, gayness is not only possible but realistic, making it that much easier to picture Arthur/Steve. There are other little things to notice (touches of domesticity, etc.) but you'll have to find those for yourself.
While this is a refreshing step in a really, really great direction for action dramas aimed at a male audience, as a whole I feel the movie fell short of its potential. This was a GREAT setup for some gay romance to further complicate and deepen the plot, not to mention add some much needed originality and forward thinking to a highly repetitive genre, but alas the feeling is instead that it wanted to be gay but couldn't. Because homophobes ruin everything.
Fortunately, there are still moments such as Arthur finally talking about future plans like Steve will naturally be by his side and Steve not only noticing, but commenting on it.
Steve: "Together?"
Arthur: "That's up to you."
Watch it.
(P.S. - This movie totally inspired me to write a screenplay about a masculine gay hitman with a completely different point, setup and plot. Thank you, ambiguous action movies. Thank you.)
I had no idea it was a Jason Statham movie, so when he popped up I braced myself for a couple of hours of brain dead, cinematic pain. Imagine my surprise when, not only does it turn out to be not so bad, it's got the foundation for a very intriguing slash ship.
Also, Ben's character has to play gay to catch the interest of a target.
I'm on board.
Premise: Arthur (Statham) is a professional hitman ordered to kill an old friend of his (Donald Sutherland). He goes through with it and his friend's son Steve (Foster) becomes his apprentice, not knowing that Arthur is the one who killed his dad.
Slash Potential: 6/10, but worth it.
First of all, I can understand why it has a low rating. Statham's name is synonymous with "turn off your brain and blow shit up for 90 minutes whilst having a lot of het sex" and The Mechanic is definitely different than his usual fare. Sure, there are still some action sequences, and they're well done, but there's more drama and deliberation than typical Statham fans would be expecting. So anyone who sits down to watch this movie with a "yay more 'splosions and boobies" attitude will more than likely be disappointed.
That's not to say the movie is fantastic though. It drags in places and takes a detour away from the plot for most of Act 2 to shoot things and kill people, but it's gorgeously captured, the dialogue works, the acting isn't painful, and I'll be damned if the main characters aren't compelling. Am I really talking about a Statham film? To my own surprise, yes.
Arthur's problem, as stated by Sutherland's character, is that he's without "a companion." It's an interesting way to phrase that observation. He doesn't tell Arthur to get laid, or find the right girl and settle down, he just notices that the guy's problem is a lack of companionship. But he doesn't say "friend" either.
Steve's problem is, essentially, anger. He doesn't have a short temper so much as he's just sitting on a huge reserve of anger with no way of releasing it. This unfortunate trait has left him pretty darn alone.
You can see where this is going. Arthur gets a companion and Steve has a way to let out his anger and get paid at the same time. The mentor/student aspect is there, but it develops into an odd sort of partnership. Add on the bonus suspense of not knowing when Steve is gonna find out about his dad, or how he's gonna react to it, and oh my do you have a movie.
Yeah yeah, sure sure, but what about the gay? It's wonderfully unhindered by having no pointless love interest, but there is the annoyance of both guys getting laid by different chicks at some point for absolutely no reason. Both encounters are purely, 100% random, and a really obvious bit of paranoia from the filmmakers to assure the audience that the main characters are like totally straight.
Despite that, you can imagine my expression when Arthur sets up Steve to get close to a gay hitman he's been assigned to take out. When Steve is finally let in on the whole 'oh and he's gay and you're his type' he has absolutely no issue. There's no cheap, comical "You want me to do what?!" conversation or anything of the sort. It's just another part of the job. Apparently. But there is one joke worthy of note as they keep going over the plan and how Steve is supposed to cozy up to the guy.
Steve: "You want me to kill him, not rape him, right?"
Steve then smiles and quietly laughs a little.
Obviously the moment is ambiguous at best, but in my slasher heart I will always interpret that smile/laugh as having the subtext of 'because I'm totally okay with having sex with a man.'
Sadly, Steve and the target never kiss, or even get their clothes off, but there's still some loveliness to enjoy until the whole hitman aspect rears its ugly head.
The fact that Steve had to play gay at all is big tip in the direction of Team Subtextually Canon. In 99.9% of manly action movies gayness does not exist. If, for some reason, a character pops up he'll be very camp and most likely serve as the brunt of a tacky joke or two. But a tall, non-flamboyant, gay hitman (the target, I mean) whose involvement is both seriously portrayed and necessary to the plot is another story entirely. In this movie world, gayness is not only possible but realistic, making it that much easier to picture Arthur/Steve. There are other little things to notice (touches of domesticity, etc.) but you'll have to find those for yourself.
While this is a refreshing step in a really, really great direction for action dramas aimed at a male audience, as a whole I feel the movie fell short of its potential. This was a GREAT setup for some gay romance to further complicate and deepen the plot, not to mention add some much needed originality and forward thinking to a highly repetitive genre, but alas the feeling is instead that it wanted to be gay but couldn't. Because homophobes ruin everything.
Fortunately, there are still moments such as Arthur finally talking about future plans like Steve will naturally be by his side and Steve not only noticing, but commenting on it.
Steve: "Together?"
Arthur: "That's up to you."
Watch it.
(P.S. - This movie totally inspired me to write a screenplay about a masculine gay hitman with a completely different point, setup and plot. Thank you, ambiguous action movies. Thank you.)