The Mechanic
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| The Mechanic | |
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| Directed by | Michael Winner |
| Produced by | Robert Chartoff Irwin Winkler |
| Written by | Lewis John Carlino |
| Starring | Charles Bronson Jan-Michael Vincent |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | November 17, 1972 |
| Running time | 100 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Mechanic is a 1972 action thriller film, directed by Michael Winner. It stars Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent.
The film is noted for its opening. There is no dialogue for the first 16 minutes of the film, as Arthur prepares for killing his current mark.
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[edit] Plot summary
Arthur Bishop (played by Bronson) is a "mechanic" — a hit man who performs his jobs cleanly, without leaving a trace of his work. When he is assigned by his organization to kill one of the heads, "Big Harry" (Keenan Wynn), he does so with his usual sense of efficiency and detachment, shooting at Big Harry until he suffers a heart attack and dies. In steps Big Harry's son, Steve (played by Vincent), approaches Arthur, from whom he wants to learn to become a "mechanic". Arthur takes him under his wing and teaches him some of the training he would need (learning to read lips from a distance, for example, or strengthening your fingers to allow for maximum use from them). However, Steve and Arthur have their own plans.
[edit] Existentialism
The film can be described as existentialist,[1] featuring characters who have chosen to ignore common rules and beliefs to live life on their own terms, often coming into absurd situations in part through their detachment. Upon being invited to a suicide, the main characters stand by and watch dispassionately, giving a girl estimates of the symptoms and time until death after she cuts her wrist, and eventually throwing her the keys to a vehicle and telling her where she can drive to get help. ("If you don't care about your life, why should I?", Steve says.) But paradoxically, even the killers need their own sense of social license, whether a paid contract from a shadowy organization or a traditional motivation for revenge.
[edit] Main cast
- Charles Bronson .... Arthur Bishop
- Jan-Michael Vincent .... Steve McKenna
- Keenan Wynn .... Harry McKenna ["Big Harry"]
- Jill Ireland .... The Girl
- Linda Ridgeway .... Louise
[edit] Remake
There is currently in production a remake of this movie. However, the story is vastly different from the original, set in a post 9/11 world.[citation needed]
