The Mechanic
The Mechanic

The Mechanic

He has 100 ways to kill... and they all work!

  • 99 Mins
  • 1972
  • en
  • star6.7/ 10

Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and lonely that he takes on one of his victim's sons, Steve McKenna, as his apprentice. Arthur puts him through a rigorous training period and brings him on several hits. As Steven improves, Arthur worries that he'll discover who killed his father.

Review

CinemaSerf

"Bishop" (Charles Bronson) is the epitome of the hit man. Highly paid, he meticulously plans his projects so as to leave no trace of anything to suggest the deaths are not natural or accidents. When he is ordered to carry out a job on his handler "Harry" (Keenan Wynn), he doesn't flinch but he does take the man's son "Steve" (Jan-Michael Vincent) under his wing afterwards. It's clear that the younger man wants to emulate "Bishop" and so he takes him in training and onto a couple of jobs. These jobs don't go as smoothly as he'd expected, though, and pretty swiftly "Bishop" begins to wonder if he's being set up. If his employers can turn on "Harry" then could they turn on him, too - no more loose ends? Bronson is on his best form here as the grumpy but highly effective killer and as the plot develops, his less-is-more style of delivery, aided by a sensible paucity of dialogue, helps to build quite a sense of peril. Vincent isn't quite in that class, but he's adequate enough as the enthusiastic apostle in a story that maybe isn't the hardest to solve, but one that does play out well with a fine twist at the end. It's got some elements of "007" to it - fast cars, speed boats and even Jill Ireland, and shows why the star had the box office status he did have at the start of the 1970s.

Image 0
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5

Movies You May Like

The Hurt Locker
High Anxiety
Avenging Angelo
Bangkok Dangerous
War, Inc.
Triple Threat
The Night Comes for Us
The Last Boy Scout
The Avengers
Der Eisbär
In the Line of Fire
Set It Off
2 Days in the Valley
Hollywood Homicide
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Midway
살인의 추억
Red Eye
The Hollow Point
Purgatory Station

Recommended Movies

Mr. Majestyk
Death Hunt
なまくら刀
The White Buffalo
The Valachi Papers
Timestalkers
Bethune
Pánico en el Transiberiano
Coriolanus
Largo Winch II
Five Easy Pieces
State of Grace
Cross of Iron
La Belva
F/X
偶然と想像
Straw Dogs
Death Wish
Appaloosa
Tommy Boy