Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Charles Bronson | ... | Arthur Bishop | |
Jan-Michael Vincent | ... | Steve McKenna | |
Keenan Wynn | ... | Harry McKenna | |
Jill Ireland | ... | The Girl | |
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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) | |
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Steve Cory | ... | Messenger |
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Tak Kubota | ... | Yamoto (as Takayuki Kubota) |
Patrick O'Moore | ... | Old Man | |
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Martin Gordon | ... | American Tourist |
Celeste Yarnall | ... | The Mark's Girl | |
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Athena Lorde | ... | Old Woman |
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Alison Rose | ... | Young Girl |
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? Written by Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
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.