An aging hitman befriends a young man who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.An aging hitman befriends a young man who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.An aging hitman befriends a young man who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.
Frank DeKova
- The Man
- (as Frank De Kova)
Lindsay Crosby
- Policeman
- (as Lindsay H. Crosby)
Tak Kubota
- Yamoto
- (as Takayuki Kubota)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis picture is notable for a motorcycle stunt where a motorbike rider, at the end of a long chase, rides his bike off a 200 foot cliff. Husqvarna motorcycles were specially adapted to film the chase hitting speeds of nearly 110 miles per hour while filming on location at Indian Dunes, Newhall, California.
- GoofsThe Fiat car used by the Mechanic in the case in Naples area is blown up. However the car is used again a few minutes later. Not only is the registration plate the same, it still has only one brake light working.
- Quotes
Steve McKenna: You do this for money?
Arthur Bishop: Money is paid, but that's not the motive. It has to do with standing outside of it all, on your own.
- Alternate versionsThe 1988 UK Warner video release was cut by 7 secs by the BBFC to remove closeup shots of a lock picking. The cuts were restored in the 2004 MGM DVD.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Clock (2010)
- SoundtracksString Quartet Op.18 No.6 (2nd Movement)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Featured review
Very, very watchable!
Michael Winner is not very popular these days. Some see him as a mediocre film maker. I would disagree with that: Winner has made some very good films and some which are not memorable so I would rank him with Val Guest as a very talented director who also works as a craftsman. The Mechanic is a good example of Winner at his best. He tells the story of a lone hit-man who seems to have no feelings at all and operates detached from the outside world almost like a Samurai. However, below that surface we see a very lonely man who pays a hooker to write him love letters and who suffers from depression and anxiety. He is a man of contradictions, a cultivated lover of classical music and fine wine and also ruthless killer. My only misgiving about the film is that I just don't see that degree of being torn between two extremes in Bronson's performance. I wonder what an actor like Clint Eastwood would have made of that role. Anyway, this leads to him adopting a seemingly kindred spirit as an apprentice to murder. Ironically, he is the son of his last victim. That is seen as breaking the rules by the organisation he seemingly freelances for and he realizes that he is not as independent as he thought he was. So both men are hunted and eventually set against each other. Bronson loses but the motive is not revenge, simply the lust to kill. The film then ends with a very twisted ending that makes you wonder whether Bronson's character really committed suicide through a third person. The story is originally and well paced with some spectacular action scenes. So all in all the film is both intelligent as well as full of suspense. Very, very watchable!
helpful•70
- Thorsten-Krings
- Jun 14, 2011
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Killer of Killers
- Filming locations
- 1235 Sierra Alta Way, Los Angeles, California, USA(Arthur Bishop's house)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
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