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 | Older Man Younger Man | Timebomb | Trap | Prostitute

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:

The beginning of the film is completely free of dialogue. Nobody speaks a word until after the 16-minute mark.

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: It takes a special kind of person to do that.
Steve McKenna: I can dig it.
Arthur Bishop: You say you can "dig it". But, the fact is that you don't know what you're talking about.
Steve McKenna: You do?
Arthur Bishop: Do I?
Steve McKenna: Interesting. When he's cornered, he answers questions with questions.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mach 2 (2001)

The best Bronson film ever and also one of the 70's best

They sure don't make them like this anymore: smart, realistic, tough and fascinating. Charles Bronson is in top form here, he plays a hit man with creative and untraceable way methods of killing, he is like a "death doctor" and when he "fix something, it never works again". But things aren't so good for him lately, he suffers from anxiety and collapses in one memorable scene. He then decides to take under his wing the young Steve Mackenna (Jan Michael Vincent in one of his better roles) and teach his the skills of the trade. Director Michael Winner put together a piece of classic cinema with everything seems to work perfectly. The cinematography is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, especially the final scenes located in Italy. It's a shame that this film is almost unknown to the young generation and is way underrated here. The twisted ending certainly lifts up the already high level of the film. Highly recommended 10/10.