Two out of four stars, tops.That’s what I would give Jason Statham’s newest Transporter du jour, “The Mechanic.” It’s no Oscar winner, but if you’re looking for a decent action flick, then “The Mechanic” will satisfy your craving for smoking guns, five o’clock shadow machismo, and blood by the gallons.

So why not a three or even a four-star review for this film? Well, there’s just one thing this picture is lacking: an original concept. Yes, I’m afraid it’s true, “The Mechanic” is just another Hollywood remake.

Like most movie remakes, the bare bones plot is the same from the opening credits to the plot twist at the end. Arthur Bishop, an aging, introverted assassin, takes on an apprentice (played, this time, by Ben Foster from “The Messenger” and “30 Days of Night”). But there are a few differences between the original “Mechanic,” released in 1972, and the version released Friday, Jan. 28. In Bronson’s day, if someone was shot, they simply played dead and, if you were lucky, there might be a corn syrup and red food coloring stain. After seeing Statham’s “Mechanic”-with its realistic exit wounds and splatter effects-I realized how much I missed playing pretend a little when I see an action movie.

So was it necessary to remake “The Mechanic”? Definitely not. Director Simon West (“Con Air”) essentially took a decent action movie, and turned it into…a decent action movie. And, sure, there are some remakes that are just downright outperform their predecessors. “Inglourious Basterds,” “The Departed” and “I Am Legend” all come to mind and for well-earned reason. But more than likely, they fall flatter than one of Arthur Bishop’s victims.