The Mechanic **** (1972, Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland) – Classic Movie Review 4608

Director Michael Winner’s 1972 American action thriller The Mechanic is violent, gripping, exciting and slickly crafted. Charles Bronson stars in one of his key roles as Arthur Bishop, the Killer of Killers, an aging mob hitman planning to retire, who mistakenly takes on the plausible-seeming young Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent) to mentor as his apprentice. The apprentice seems keen, but what is he up to? Or has someone betrayed both of them?

Lewis John Carlino provides an efficient story and screenplay, while both the cast and the director deliver the goods, even if it is all, well, a little mechanical.

It was shown as a support feature in Britain under the title Killer of Killers, because the British distributor (probably rightly) thought the British would not know that ‘mechanic’ was mob slang for elite assassin.

It is a hard-edged movie with a tough tone, and some bloody violence, typical of its early Seventies period. There is no strong swearing, though.

It also stars Keenan Wynn as Harry McKenna and Bronson’s wife Jill Ireland as The Girl.

Also in the cast are Linda Ridgeway as Steve McKenna’s girlfriend Louise, Frank DeKova, Lindsay H Crosby, Martin Gordon, James Davidson, Steve Cory, Patrick O’Moore, Kevin O’Neal, Linda Grant and Louis Fitch.

The Mechanic is advertised as ‘from the director [and star] of the Death Wish trilogy’.

It was remade as The Mechanic in 2011 with Jason Statham and Ben Foster, with a sequel, Mechanic: Resurrection, in 2016.

Jan-Michael Vincent (1945-2019).

RIP Jan-Michael Vincent (1945-2019). He died of cardiac arrest on 10 February 2019, aged 73, though his death was not announced until almost a month later on 8 March 2019. He is fondly remembered for Tribes (1970), White Line Fever (1975), Baby Blue Marine (1976), The Mechanic (1972), The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973), Buster and Billie (1974), Bite the Bullet (1975), Vigilante Force (1976), Big Wednesday (1978), Hooper (1978) and The Winds of War.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4608

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