The Mechanic (1972) on Netflix
PG19721h 39mActionCrimeThriller
Arthur Bishop, a veteran contract killer, makes his hits look like accidents. Lonely in middle age, he takes on Steve McKenna, the son of one of his victims, as an apprentice.
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- Netflix2.8/5
- IMDb6.8/1018,429 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes45%
Trailer
Plot summary
Arthur Bishop works as a contract killer for a secret criminal organization, and arranges each death to pass as an accident or a natural cause. The work pays for a comfortable life of classical music, art and fine wine, yet it leaves him unable to trust anyone or show weakness, and he pays a call girl to pose as a devoted girlfriend and write him letters. He is then assigned Harry McKenna, one of the organization's heads, a man with a weak heart. At Harry's funeral Bishop meets Harry's son Steve, who presses him about his life. Bishop judges Steve suited to the trade and, after much insistence, discloses his profession and offers to train him.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Mechanic (1972)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Screenwriter Lewis John Carlino's original script made the relationship between Arthur Bishop and Steve McKenna explicitly romantic, and several actors, including George C. Scott, flatly refused to consider the script until the homosexuality was removed.
- Richard Dreyfuss was originally cast as the apprentice Steve McKenna but was replaced in early December 1971, apparently because Charles Bronson disliked him.
- The Mechanic's opening has no dialogue for its first 16 minutes, as Charles Bronson's assassin prepares to kill his current target.
- The opening assassination features the largest controlled explosion in Los Angeles to that date, requiring five tanks of butane fuel and nine pounds of black powder.
- The martial arts scenes were shot in one day at the dojo of Takayuki Kubota, who also appears in the film, requiring 65 camera setups, and they were cut short because associate producer Henry Gellis thought they made the film seem like a James Bond installment.
- Charles Bronson, who had previously worked with Michael Winner on Chato's Land, conditioned that the producers of The Mechanic cast his wife, Jill Ireland, in a supporting role.
- At one point, Cliff Robertson and Jeff Bridges were considered for the two lead roles, the veteran hitman and his young apprentice.
