The Mechanic main backdrop
The Mechanic main poster

The Mechanic

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6.7/10 • 309

1972-10-061h 39m

ActionThriller

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

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.

Directors
Michael Winner
Editors
Frederick Wilson

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Charles Bronson

    Charles Bronson

    Arthur Bishop

  2. Jan-Michael Vincent

    Jan-Michael Vincent

    Steve McKenna

  3. Keenan Wynn

    Keenan Wynn

    Harry McKenna

  4. Jill Ireland

    Jill Ireland

    The Girl

  5. Linda Ridgeway

    Linda Ridgeway

    Louise, Steve McKenna's Girlfriend

  6. Frank De Kova

    Frank De Kova

    The Man

  7. James Davidson

    James Davidson

    Intern

  8. Lindsay Crosby

    Lindsay Crosby

    Policeman

  9. Steve Cory

    Steve Cory

    Messenger

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Dec 5, 2024

7/10

"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.

Media

  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster
  • The Mechanic poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
assassinhitmanmapprofessional hitlock pickbitinganxiousvindictivedramaticpessimistic