Of the numerous tough guy roles played over five decades by Charles Bronson, 'The Mechanic' is a pretty safe bet for the movie that best captures his on-screen persona. While cases can be made for 'Once Upon a Time in the West,' 'Mr. Majestyk,' and 'Death Wish,' Michael Winner's 1972 potboiler not only sketches Bronson as a quiet, almost stealth-like force, but also gives us deep motivations for his character.
'The Mechanic' is one of Michael Winner's best efforts as an action director, although it falls somewhat short of the original 'Death Wish,' probably his crowning achievement in this genre. But 'The Mechanic' was a considerable effort for its time, mixing neat action sequences with ongoing character development. This is a far cry from many actioners before or since, which feature men who tear up everything in sight while not undergoing the slightest bit of change internally.
In an adaptation by Lewis John Carlino from his own story, Bronson plays Arthur Bishop, a California hit-man who is in the twilight of his career. Bishop is still capable physically, but his work as a cold-hearted assassin is wearing heavily on his nerves and may even be creating guilt deep within him. After performing hits against a nameless felon and his good friend Harry McKenna (Keenan Wynn), he suffers a nervous breakdown and decides that an apprentice would be useful as backup.
He discovers his protégé in Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent), a twenty-ish son of Harry. Bishop finds Steve an ideal candidate, having no clear empathy for the people around him. McKenna is taken under Bishop's wing and taught how to perform assassinations without leaving a trace of evidence. The hiring becomes a mistake, however, as it was made without the permission of Bishop's overseers (called 'the organization') and violates their code of ethics.
Falling just shy of 100 minutes in length, 'The Mechanic' is a tightly-bound drama that uses everything - dialogue, emotion, physical action - with stunning economy. Like a tightly-written novel, the film sheds all unnecessary padding and only gives us what is absolutely important to the storyline. The opening 15 minutes present a "day in the life" of Arthur Bishop, when he carries out a murder disguised as a gas explosion. There is no dialogue in this sequence, except for a hotel clerk who offers Bishop his quick hello. The murder of Harry McKenna follows, in which Bishop shows no outward regret for his actions, putting the brutal demands of his job over friendship.
The Mechanic's final hour tracks a growing relationship between Bishop and Steve McKenna, who proves even more ruthless than his mentor. Three well-made action sequences take place: a motorcycle chase, a yacht bombing, and a car chase along the mountainsides of Naples. The action sets are primitive by today's standards, but they do have a nostalgic charm that fans of the genre should like. The choppy pacing used by Michael Winner in these scenes more than delivers the goods; Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent are a sturdy pair in the ensuing gunplay. The supporting cast are all second fiddle to Bronson and Vincent, but help to move this film along. Besides Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland has a small role as Bishop's high-cost prostitute and a disturbing suicide attempt is carried out by Steve McKenna's girlfriend Louise, played by Linda Ridgeway.
It would be easy to write this film off as another shoot-'em-up, but Lewis John Carlino's script offers much more. While the characters are from a way of life unfamiliar to us, they have much to say about how unfeeling ordinary people can be. There is also a deep-lying moral about why certain secrets may be best kept as secrets and why there is a price to be paid for not respecting the feelings of others. Michael Winner is not exactly known for philosophical discourse in his movies, but 'The Mechanic' is about as close as he gets to this area.
'The Mechanic' is good but not perfect technically. Winner's trademark camera angles, zooms, and wobbles are used to great effect, backed by sharp cinematography from Richard H. Kline and Robert Paynter (European scenes only). Unfortunately, there is shod editing at times from Frederick Wilson (listed as Freddie Wilson in the credits) and Winner himself (using his pen name of Arnold Crust Jr.). While the gas explosion sequence is finely crafted, the seaside murder of Harry features a change from sunset to pitch-darkness in a single cut and Keenan Wynn's voice is badly dubbed. The final scene is also bungled (in my opinion, anyway) when end credits appear too soon and the film blacks out prematurely.
Composer Jerry Fielding, who teamed with Winner on 'Chato's Land,' 'Scorpio,' and 'The Big Sleep' amongst others, wrote a minimalist score that adds tension in the right places. Production values are very good, particularly in the Italian setting, which is to be expected from a United Artists film of thirty years ago. Yes, the early 1970s style is there, with a psychedelic atmosphere and emphasis on bright colors, but I haven't seen a film yet that updates itself each time you watch it.
And if there are such films, I wouldn't count on MGM to offer them, especially with how disappointing its DVD presentations of Bronson have been. The 'Mechanic' DVD offers widescreen and standard format, unlike such retails as 'Death Wish 3' and 'Death Wish 4' that are full frame only. English mono and French 'dubbing' are included as audio options, with English, French, and Spanish subtitles. Bronson DVD extras rarely get past the theatrical trailer and MGM's 'Mechanic' disc adds insult to injury by using not the original trailer print, but what looks like a TV spot with the film's alternative title 'Killer of Killers.' 'Death Wish' is mentioned in the ad, which means it was shown no earlier than 1974. Good movie, rotten package by this low-balling Hollywood outfit.
*** out of 4
'The Mechanic' is one of Michael Winner's best efforts as an action director, although it falls somewhat short of the original 'Death Wish,' probably his crowning achievement in this genre. But 'The Mechanic' was a considerable effort for its time, mixing neat action sequences with ongoing character development. This is a far cry from many actioners before or since, which feature men who tear up everything in sight while not undergoing the slightest bit of change internally.
In an adaptation by Lewis John Carlino from his own story, Bronson plays Arthur Bishop, a California hit-man who is in the twilight of his career. Bishop is still capable physically, but his work as a cold-hearted assassin is wearing heavily on his nerves and may even be creating guilt deep within him. After performing hits against a nameless felon and his good friend Harry McKenna (Keenan Wynn), he suffers a nervous breakdown and decides that an apprentice would be useful as backup.
He discovers his protégé in Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent), a twenty-ish son of Harry. Bishop finds Steve an ideal candidate, having no clear empathy for the people around him. McKenna is taken under Bishop's wing and taught how to perform assassinations without leaving a trace of evidence. The hiring becomes a mistake, however, as it was made without the permission of Bishop's overseers (called 'the organization') and violates their code of ethics.
Falling just shy of 100 minutes in length, 'The Mechanic' is a tightly-bound drama that uses everything - dialogue, emotion, physical action - with stunning economy. Like a tightly-written novel, the film sheds all unnecessary padding and only gives us what is absolutely important to the storyline. The opening 15 minutes present a "day in the life" of Arthur Bishop, when he carries out a murder disguised as a gas explosion. There is no dialogue in this sequence, except for a hotel clerk who offers Bishop his quick hello. The murder of Harry McKenna follows, in which Bishop shows no outward regret for his actions, putting the brutal demands of his job over friendship.
The Mechanic's final hour tracks a growing relationship between Bishop and Steve McKenna, who proves even more ruthless than his mentor. Three well-made action sequences take place: a motorcycle chase, a yacht bombing, and a car chase along the mountainsides of Naples. The action sets are primitive by today's standards, but they do have a nostalgic charm that fans of the genre should like. The choppy pacing used by Michael Winner in these scenes more than delivers the goods; Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent are a sturdy pair in the ensuing gunplay. The supporting cast are all second fiddle to Bronson and Vincent, but help to move this film along. Besides Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland has a small role as Bishop's high-cost prostitute and a disturbing suicide attempt is carried out by Steve McKenna's girlfriend Louise, played by Linda Ridgeway.
It would be easy to write this film off as another shoot-'em-up, but Lewis John Carlino's script offers much more. While the characters are from a way of life unfamiliar to us, they have much to say about how unfeeling ordinary people can be. There is also a deep-lying moral about why certain secrets may be best kept as secrets and why there is a price to be paid for not respecting the feelings of others. Michael Winner is not exactly known for philosophical discourse in his movies, but 'The Mechanic' is about as close as he gets to this area.
'The Mechanic' is good but not perfect technically. Winner's trademark camera angles, zooms, and wobbles are used to great effect, backed by sharp cinematography from Richard H. Kline and Robert Paynter (European scenes only). Unfortunately, there is shod editing at times from Frederick Wilson (listed as Freddie Wilson in the credits) and Winner himself (using his pen name of Arnold Crust Jr.). While the gas explosion sequence is finely crafted, the seaside murder of Harry features a change from sunset to pitch-darkness in a single cut and Keenan Wynn's voice is badly dubbed. The final scene is also bungled (in my opinion, anyway) when end credits appear too soon and the film blacks out prematurely.
Composer Jerry Fielding, who teamed with Winner on 'Chato's Land,' 'Scorpio,' and 'The Big Sleep' amongst others, wrote a minimalist score that adds tension in the right places. Production values are very good, particularly in the Italian setting, which is to be expected from a United Artists film of thirty years ago. Yes, the early 1970s style is there, with a psychedelic atmosphere and emphasis on bright colors, but I haven't seen a film yet that updates itself each time you watch it.
And if there are such films, I wouldn't count on MGM to offer them, especially with how disappointing its DVD presentations of Bronson have been. The 'Mechanic' DVD offers widescreen and standard format, unlike such retails as 'Death Wish 3' and 'Death Wish 4' that are full frame only. English mono and French 'dubbing' are included as audio options, with English, French, and Spanish subtitles. Bronson DVD extras rarely get past the theatrical trailer and MGM's 'Mechanic' disc adds insult to injury by using not the original trailer print, but what looks like a TV spot with the film's alternative title 'Killer of Killers.' 'Death Wish' is mentioned in the ad, which means it was shown no earlier than 1974. Good movie, rotten package by this low-balling Hollywood outfit.
*** out of 4