The Mechanic (1972)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

Lewis John Carlino (screenplay)
Lewis John Carlino (story)

Release Date:

14 December 1972 (West Germany)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

Clean. Fast. Professional.

Plot:

An aging hitman befriends a young man who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Elimination | Timebomb | Karate | Car Bomb

Cast

Charles Bronson	...	Arthur Bishop
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Steve McKenna
Keenan Wynn	...	Harry McKenna ['Big Harry']
Jill Ireland	...	The Girl
Linda Ridgeway	...	Louise, Steve McKenna's Girlfriend
Frank DeKova	...	The Man
James Davidson	...	Intern
Lindsay Crosby	...	Policeman
Steve Cory	...	Messenger
Tak Kubota	...	Yamoto (as Takayuki Kubota)
Patrick O'Moore	...	Old Man
Martin Gordon	...	American Tourist
Celeste Yarnall	...	The Mark's Girl
Athena Lorde	...	Old Woman
Alison Rose	...	Young Girl

Also Known As:

Killer of Killers

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | UK:15 (2004) (uncut) | UK:15 (1988) (cut) | UK:AA (1972) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | USA:PG (Certificate #23380)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Wax Museum - 6767 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Trivia:

Body count: 25

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bishop pins up the papers that he gets in the special delivery, he puts the pin in the top middle of the paper. In the next shot, the papers are pinned in both the top left and right corners.

Quotes:

Arthur Bishop: [When Arthur is explaining to Steve about the rules in the martial art scene] They won't hit each other or one of them would dead and thats against the law.

Movie Connections:

References City of Missing Girls (1941)

The absolute cream of Bronson

There are excellent Charles Bronson movies and then there's a huge bunch of Bronson films that are not quite as excellent, so-called b-thrillers - films that only dedicated Bronson freaks love. However "The Mechanic" is certainly one of the best action thrillers he has ever done and definitely the biggest classics of good old Charles.

I was thrilled when I watched it as a kid when it came from television and it gives me a very pleasant nostalgic feeling when I watch it nowadays from dvd. For example the motorcycle chase or the surprising ending works every time (although it clearly doesn't come as a surprise today). Bronson is at his element: calm, tough and cool. Very intelligent and enjoyable movie. If you're a fan of 1970's style of filmmaking, you can't pass this.