The Mechanic

I’m surprised nobody mentions the car chase scene. As someone who has been around auto racing all my life I can tell when someone is pushing a car to its limits. And while they are economy cars out of the sixties, that’s what they do in this movie. On the side of a mountain no less. No speeding up the film, no cgi. The real thing. This is one of those movies that keeps your attention due to the pace of action mixed with suspense and character development. Although not a western I think Bronson did an even better job in this movie than my other favorite of his, once upon a time in the West.

Without being too philosophical or semiotic (I suppose the reader will be the judge of that), this film is a clear reminder of the difference a generation can make. Clear lines of good and evil are drawn and the inevitability of justice, in the end, overshadows the film. Such a sweet and sad ending, foreshadowed eloquently with the fight in the dojo between the master with his old ways and the upstart with his tricks.When the movie ended, I was smiling at the poetic ending and thought back to how many movies ended this way from that era. Enjoy this, a fantastic character, good plot, almost literary with a big gnarl-knuckled punch in the liver that is Mr. Bronson.

Some lovely shots of CA in the 70s and I love, loveboth Keenan Wynn's and Charles Bronson's houses."So this is what it looks like inside your head... must have cost a lot of bread"I know that I've seen the them in other tv shows.Plus Jan-Michael was pretty.The motorcycle chase was really fun (until the end)!!That was a weird museum that they were touring... does anyone know where it is?And a car chase on the winding Italian roads.I'm a fan of this well done character study.

I am not really sure why the glorification of murderous sociopaths is a good reason to make a movie. The 70's was the beginning of the push towards desensitizing the public to sex and violence and that is reflected here . There was a particular scene with a suicidal girl that was in poor taste and offensive. Bronson I love and he did a fine job here but the plot was silly . If they wanted to kill Bronson they could have found plenty of ways to do it. But its the 70's and it was cool seeing all those cars I remember.

I first viewed The Mechanic in 1972-73 twice. It's one of those movies where every little detail to me is a big deal; Bronson's character Mr. Bishop squeezing a ball of wax;smoking a pipe and philosophizing about the art of killing; Jan Michael Vincent's Inquisitive nature; and Bronson's character being a little annoyed; the climax of the movie with "The Man"; signing bihop's and mckennas death warrant by raising his coffee cup with a saucer(great scene!). Some people don't get it; this movie is not an all action movie; but a great character study with a hit-man who is lonely and suffering from anxiety and his weak point(and mistake) is taking an over-eager and ambitious protégé under his wing! Martin Scorsese reviewed and liked a minor gem of a hit-man movie in the late 1950's called contract killer with Vince Edwards; where his character has a conscience. Two different movies for sure, but does not compare to the mechanic! Its one of those movies that I don,t get tired of!

1972... NOT a good time for movies, and this one's a prime example. It's like everybody was baked on acid or pretended to be. The movie starts out fine and seems promising-- because the opening scene is pure action, and rather unusual and interesting action, too-- but then the talking starts... and it becomes clear just how nails-on-a-chalkboard horrible the writing is. Dialogue, scenes, plot progression are all pretentious, contrived, and ludicrous in that special '70s acid-baked way... The same goes for the scoring. "Moody" '70s piano jazz-- Barf! I had to bail half-way through, it was that bad.

In The Mechanic Charles Bronson played hitman Arthur Bishop. The movie has an ironic twist as Bishop kills his friend and then decides to mentor his son Harry (Keenan Wynn) in his trade. The added twist is why is Harry interested in the hit man business? Is it because he’s genuine about learning the business or does he want revenge?In terms of action the hits are up and down. The first is inventive. The second is okay. The last is high intensity. What’s really good is the ending, which is about who can outwit who in the hit man business.Overall, a very good plot although it doesn’t always hold up.C

This is a spoiler review. I watch a movie with the assumption that every thing included is there for a reason unless proven to be otherwise. We know for a fact that Bishop feels is age and is disconnected from his reality and work. He could even be said to be burnt out. Bishop goes so far as to tell his boss that a trained protoge would be a great when he is gone. Then we see Bishop catch on that said protoge may be out to get him. We are left with a poisoned glass being the tool of Bishop's demise by McKenna--something an old pro who knows he is the mark would spot a mile away. When we get back stateside, we see that Bishop had thought ahead when the car explodes after McKenna reads the note. But. look at the Mustang several scenes earlier--NO NOTE! Bishop staged the perfect retirement.

The Mechanic is wonderfully cast and film, and should be preserved as one of the best of its genre.

Charles Bronson & Jan Michael Vincent on top form in this gritty 70's thriller ; great ending too when someone treacherous gets their comeuppance

Bronson at his best, a real classic on 70s style.Much better than the remake. Make sure you get the uncut version though

Before statham there was the original badass bronson

It was a big film in its day, but now-days lacks credibility like other Bronson 'Death Wish' films. They are in concept however very 'unique' and that's the attraction. 'The Mechanic' with Charles Bronson by comparison to the recent remake with Jason Stratham was more realistic. It is well worth the investment if you are a Bronson fan, as it is one of his best films. The intrigue is quite tense through the film and Bronson's has the ability to develop that, were perhaps other actors would portray it differently.