The Mechanic (1972)

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

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

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

Stars:

Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Bronson	...	Arthur Bishop
Jan-Michael Vincent	...	Steve McKenna
Keenan Wynn	...	Harry McKenna
Jill Ireland	...	The Girl
Linda Ridgeway	...	Louise, Steve McKenna's Girlfriend
Frank DeKova	...	The Man (as Frank De Kova)
James Davidson	...	Intern
Lindsay Crosby	...	Policeman (as Lindsay H. Crosby)
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

Storyline

A professional hit man is planning to retire, always a difficult move for one in such a profession. A young apprentice appears to be eager to learn all the skills of the trade - but is that all he wants?

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Plot Keywords:

hitman | funeral | professional hit | villain played by lead actor | main character dies | 

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Taglines:

He fixes people so they never work again.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1972 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Killer of Killers

Filming Locations:

Amalfi, Campania, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$86,000, 31 December 1972

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions, Carlino Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's martial arts scenes were shot in one day at the dojo of Takayuki Kubota, who also appears in the film. The shooting required 65 camera setups. The scenes were cut short in the final edit because, according to associate producer Henry Gellis, their inclusion made the film seem like an installment in the James Bond series.

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Goofs

When Charles Bronson reads the lips of the men in the park, he hands Jan Michael-Vincent a tape recorder and tells him to turn it on, ostensibly to record what he is reading. However, he only pushes "Play", not "Record".

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Quotes

Steve McKenna: [Steve has poisoned Arthur] Arrivederci Napoli.

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Alternate Versions

The 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.

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Connections

Referenced in Mechanic: Resurrection (2016)

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Soundtracks

String Quartet Op.18 No.6 (2nd Movement)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

User Reviews

Bronson doing what he does best

The early seventies was a great period for Bronson. Having already reached fifty and a string of classics under his belt as a support player in the sixties, the seventies was his decade. His ice cool tough guy image and immaculate physique made up for his rugged leading man looks and put him more in line ahead of the Redfords and the Newman's for gritty urban thrillers. In Basic terms Bronson could play a ruthless good guy, he had played his fair share of Indians and Mexican Bandits, but never was he better cast than when he portrayed Arthur Bishop, professional hitman for the Mob, The Mechanic.

With great locations, exciting outbursts of action and a surprise twist, this is seventies action entertainment at it's best and it was the period where Director Michael Winner's collaboration with Bronson proved to be his best work to date. They went on to make another great urban crime thriller THE STONE KILLER and then DEATH WISH, Bronson's most famous movie.

It's a shame that both Bronson and Winner's films and reputations went down hill in the eighties but perhaps age went against the seventies icon, as for Winner he returned to Britain and went back to making dire comedies.

But the seventies saw Bronson in many roles that would categorise him as typecast but perhaps he knew his limitations and knew he was never gonna be a romantic lead. Although his late wife, Jill Ireland may have disagreed, she appeared alongside him several times over the space of twenties years, check out a movie entitled FROM NOON TIL THREE, a romantic western that people didn't want to see.

Audiences want to see Bronson as tough, cool, calculated and deadly that's why THE MECHANIC is the perfect vehicle for the screen legend.