The Mechanic 4K 1972 Ultra HD 2160p

A professional assassin (Bronson) from a powerful organization begins to mentor a young apprentice (Vincent) and teaches him everything he knows and can do. When his student later turns the acquired knowledge against his teacher, the situation is resolved in the most unusual way.

User Review

In the early 1970s, English director Michael Winner had the opportunity to work in Hollywood, and his very first project abroad was the film Lawman, starring Robert Duvall and Burt Lancaster. As for his collaboration with the famous Charles Bronson, The Mechanic was the second film by this duo (the first was the 1972 western Chato), which later gave us the cult classic Death Wish.

The genre of this film can be defined more as a slow-paced thriller than a full-fledged action movie. For the first 15 minutes, practically not a single word is spoken. All this time, we watch the cunning and unhurried preparation for the murder of another undesirable person. The main plot starts immediately after the successful completion of the task.

Arthur Bishop (Bronson's character) is a cynical loner who lives as he pleases, and he repeatedly voices this idea throughout the film. He kills without remorse, explaining it this way: "I get paid, but that's not the point. The thing is, it allows me to stay out of this world and be my own master.“ What a clear example of an existentialist!

The fact that he begins to train the son of his, so to speak, friend, does not cause confusion, as, for example, when watching ”Bangkok Dangerous" with Nicolas Cage. “You've seen too many bad movies, but you've got me interested,” Arthur says to Steve. The old hitman, realizing that age will eventually take its toll and that he needs to groom a successor, sees in him, if not his own mirror image, then at least a person who is in many ways similar to himself. The apprentice, who has mastered his mentor's lessons, will subsequently play a significant role in the life of the main character.

Bishop also lacks the obsessive desire to get married and live out the rest of his days as a model family man. One of the opening scenes of the film clearly demonstrates Arthur's relationship with his pretty mistress, played by Bronson's second wife, Jill Ireland.

As mentioned a few paragraphs above, this is not an action movie in the pure sense, so don't expect a continuous stream of action. However, the chase and shootout scenes, which are well placed throughout the film, are quite enjoyable to watch. Of course, some moments seem slightly archaic, but they do not provoke outright laughter.

In my opinion, this is a noteworthy work by Winner and Bronson.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (95.9 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10+
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Info Audio

#English: FLAC 2.0
#English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Troy Howarth)
#English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Audio Commentary by Film Historian Paul Talbot)
#English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (Audio Commentary by Cinematographer Richard H. Kline, Moderated by Film Historian Nick Redman)

Info Subtitles