The Mechanic (1972)

I love this movie so much

Admirable film.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Solid action drama with good leads. I liked how calm and quiet Bronson was. Special effects still hold up well. Some exciting sequences. Plus scenic cliffhangers along the Italian coast. Intriguing relationship between master Bronson and apprentice Vincent. Great '70s feel helped by Jerry Fielding score.

The Mechanic is another collaboration between Michael winner and his favorite actor Charles Bronson who he normally casts in his films and unlike their previous collaborations in such films like the death wish films and many others . Which i cannot be bothered to name this film isn't one of their better achievements the story concerns a veteran hit man Arthur Bishop who is pondering retiring after completing his latest job until he meets the son of a rich millionaire business man introduced to him by his Father played by Keenan Wynn named Steve played by a young and up and coming Jan Michael Vincent who explains to Bishop that he has decided himself that he wants to follow in Bishops foot steps and become a hit man himself Bishop then decides to take him under his wing and train him in preparation for an assignment that they will under take together which will test the limits of their friendship . This is a decidedly slapdash 70s action movie with a distinct lack of action and nothing else really the pacing is slow and lethargic the editing is inconsistent the script is littered with clichés and plot holes bored from thousands of other action movies the acting is OK but the two lead actors Bronson and Vincent are wooden due to the lackluster material they have to work with this could be due not only to the screenplay writers but also due to Michael winners farcical directing . Overall skip this film and go for some of Charles Bronson's other works he has been so much better in other films such as the Death wish franchise , Mr majestic , The great escape , Kinjite . Give this film a pass and go rent those movies instead which showcase his acting talents better than this film does .

I had no idea the Jason Statham film of the same name was a remake, so I thought it was only right I see the original before, and you can definitely see this as a taste of what would come later with the same lead actor and director Michael Winner in Death Wish. Basically ageing professional hit-man and mechanic Arthur Bishop (Charles Bronson) is constantly hired to kill people leaving no traces, carefully studying his victims to get away with the perfect execution, one of his latest targets is 'Big' Harry McKenna (Keenan Wynn), who was formerly a friend of his father, Arthur is planning to retire soon after this job. At the funeral of Harry, Arthur meets Harry's son Steve (Jan-Michael Vincent), the young man asks him for a ride and they get to know each other more, he sees the twenty four year old has potential to become a professional killer, and he suggests they form a partnership, of course he realises as time passes that he is highly narcissistic and ruthless. There also comes a point later where Bishop roots through Steve's belongings and finds files about himself, and when the two are hired for a job in Italy it becomes clear that someone is out to get them, they are the targets, and this turns into a car chase, but the two hit men are able to defeat and kill their would-be assassins. In the end Steve is supposedly ready to become his own professional hit-man, but he poisons Bishop's wine as revenge for him killing his father, he was not acting on someone else's orders, but the final blow comes, literally, when Steve gets in Bishop's Ford Mustang, and Bishop has a left a note with a personal message, ending with "Bang! Your dead.", and that is when the car explodes before he can get out. Also starring Jill Ireland as The Girl/Prostitute, Linda Ridgeway as Louise - Steve McKenna's Girlfriend, Frank DeKova as The Man/Syndicate Head, Lindsay H. Crosby as Policeman and Takayuki Kubota as Yamoto. Bronson is great being the often silent and often deadly killer for hire, the most entertaining parts of the film are of course the assassination sequences and the fast paced chase moments, there are the glossy bits that slow it down slightly, but the explosions and violence more than makes up for it, it is an entertaining enough action thriller. Worth watching!

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!