The Mechanic

Fascinating film about the life and lifestyle of a professional hit-man, a Mechanic, and how dangerous that lifestyle can be not just for the person that gets "Hit" but also for the "Hitman" himself. Arthur Bishop, Charles Bronson, is the top "Mechanic" in the business and we see in the beginning of the movie how he does his job.

Getting his orders through the mail Bishop sets up his victim by casing out his hotel room and then planting an explosive in his bookcase and rigging his gas-range to leak slowly so he wouldn't notice. Then wait hidden ,across the street facing his intended victim's room, until the time is right for him to get off a shot. Not at the victim but at the bookcase to make it look like the he died in a tragic accident instead of an assassins bullet.

You see this all happening in the first fifteen minutes of the movie without a single word of dialog but it's done so well that you know exactly what's happening on the screen. The "hit job" that Bishop had at the start of the movie turned out to be a flaming success.

One afternoon Bishop gets a call from a old friend "Big" Harry, Keenan Wynn. McKenna about some trouble he's having with the organization and if Bishop can help him out. Being that Bishop's father was one of the founders of the organization "Big" Harry feels he can get whatever trouble he has with it smooths out. Bishop tells "Big" Harry he'll see what he could do.

The next morning Bishop gets an envelope in the mail from the organization for his next hit and the person Bishop is contracted to knock off is non other then "Big" Harry. Going through the motions as usual Bishop plans his "Hit" on "Big" Harry with cold calculations and no emotions at all even though he knew "Big" Harry since he was a little boy.

Getting "Big" Harry to meet him in a secluded place by the beach Bishop takes a number of shot at him but not trying to kill him but to induce "Big" Harry to have a fatal heart attack which he does. This is doe by Bishop so that the police and maybe even his fellow mobsters wouldn't be suspicious of any foul play in "Big" Harry's death.

"Big" Harry's son Steve, Jan-Michael Vincent who Bishop met when he came to see "Big" Harry begins to take a very strong liking to him after his fathers death. It's as if Steve wanted Bishop to be his fathers replacement. Even though at the time when Bishop saw Steve with his father they weren't exactly that close and Steve seemed to have a dislike and resentment for his dad even at his funeral that Bishop attended.

It seems that Steve wants to become a "Mechanic" like Bishop and wants to learn the tools of the trade from him, who's the best in the business. Steve likes Bishop's pad in the country and fancy sports car and most of all the danger of his job that is very exciting for the young man who was bored with his life of unending parties. You start to wonder if thats really the reason Steve is so interested to be around Bishop? Does Steve want to get even with Bishop, who Steve seems to know, killed his father? And why does Bishop seem to be so agreeable with Steve in teaching him about the art of killing in secret? Or is Bishop not as naive as he seems to be and is setting Steve up for something?

Intelligent film about the dirty business of the assassination game with Charles Bronson and Jan- Michael Vincent very good as cold-blooded killers who show no emotion at what they do. Slow in the action department, for a Charles Bronson movie, at first but better acted and written then most of the movies that he made back then in the 1970's. With an ending that's one of the best and most surprising finals you'll ever see in any movie.

Classic Charles Bronson. I've only recently really started getting more into his older films; I'm fluent with the Death Wish series. The Mechanic is one of his best, if not one of THE best action/thriller films I've seen. Very cleverly done, particularly his methods of killing. I also like the term used to describe assassins; that's new to me. The movie had me intrigued throughout, with Bronson playing the part very well; very few people could look as wrong as Bronson. But it's the ending that makes the movie that much better, because it's totally unexpected. I want to 'spoil' it so bad but I won't....although other user reviews here may have already. I'll just say that you'll be completely amped afterwards, your jaw will drop to the floor at how cool and unexpected it is. One of the true classic action films; the rating on here should be higher.

***1/2 out of **** stars.

The forty-two year old hit-man Arthur Bishop (Charles Bronson) is frequently hired to kill without a trace and he carefully studies the profiles of his victims to find the perfect and clean way to execute them.

When he is hired to kill "Big" Harry McKenna (Keenan Wynn), who was a former friend of his father, Arthur meets his son Steve McKenna (Jan- Michael Vincent) asking money to Harry at home. Later in Harry's funeral, Steve asks for a ride to Arthur and they become very close. Arthur finds potential in the twenty-four year old Steve to become a professional killer and he invites the youngster to form a partnership with him. However his attitude displeases the Powers that Be and Arthur is sent to Naples to kill a mobster. Arthur finds a file about him in a drawer at Steve's house but he invites Steve to travel with him to Italy. Sooner they learn that someone wants them to see Naples and die.

"The Mechanic" is an engaging film by Michael Winner with another great performance of Charles Bronson in the role of a "mechanic", meaning a hired hit-man that kills his victims without leaving a trace. One of the best lines in this film is when he tells to Steve that murder is only killing without a license. Jan-Michael Vincent has one of his best performances in the role of a youngster that believe that he has learned how to lure an experienced man. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Assassino a Preço Fixo" ("Killer at a Fixed Price")

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.

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.