If you’re in the mood to watch Jason Statham kill a load of people – and pretty much nothing else – then this will do the job. This sequel to the 2011 remake of the Charles Bronson movie, The Mechanic, has nothing to do with the film’s original themes other than the use of the same central character, who now has even less to do with being a mechanic. It starts in Rio where Statham kills his first few people when he refuses to kill some other people for a crook named Crain (Sam Hazeldine). Statham absconds to Michelle Yeoh‘s island resort in Thailand, but Crain catches up with him, forcing him to kill some people after he kidnaps his new squeeze, Jessica Alba. So Statham methodically kills a voodoo no-gooder in a Malay prison, a Sydney-based penthouse pervert in his cantilevered skyscraper swimming pool (undoubtedly the best set-piece of the film), and finally sets his sights on killing Bulgarian-based arms dealer Tommy Lee Jones. The sunshine, beach setting and luxury yachts make the film feel like travel porn; further enhanced by obligatory shots of Statham’s sun-kissed six-pack and Jessica Alba diving in a bikini. Poor Alba gets a particularly raw deal here, playing the archetypal, doting damsel-in-distress who has the added indignity of being beaten, shot, thrown in a hot tub, chucked in an escape pod and blown out to sea. It’s as if the director isn’t quite sure what to do with a female character in such an outdated macho setting. There’s a sense that most of the cast are just dropping by to pick up their cheques before heading to the beach. Only Jones manages to inject a bit of personality into the film, and he’s only in about three scenes.

AKA: Mechanic 2.