Review of The Mechanic (1972) by Kevin R — 27 Mar 2011

I broke a rule.

A professional assassin decides to break a company rule and take on an apprentice. When his employer takes exception to his addition, they quickly become the target of the assassin's employer. Has the assassin taught the apprentice enough to keep them both alive or will they become the victims of their own profession?

"My father gets upset when I ask him for money he steals from other people.".

Michael Winner, director of Scorpio, the Death Wish trilogy, Bullseye!, Hannibal Brooks, Chato's Land, Shoot to Kill, and The Jokers, delivers The Mechanic. The storyline for this picture is fairly straightforward and a bit bland. The action scenes are disappointing and about average for the action genre. The acting is okay and the cast includes Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, and Jill Ireland.

"It's all in the bubbles.".

This film treads slowly and methodically but ultimately concludes masterfully. My wife and I have been catching random Charles Bronson pictures as they air. His action pictures in the 70s and 80s are often odd and similar to Chuck Norris pictures. This is one of those movies. This is the film the recent Jason Statham movie is loosely based on so I had to see this since the remake seemed interesting. All I can say is hopefully the remake is better than this picture.

"Murder is killing without a license.".

Grade: C-.