The Mechanic Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Mechanic Blu-ray Movie Review

Hint: he doesn't work on cars.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 16, 2014

There’s a moment relatively early in The Mechanic when an upstart young man named Steve McKenna (Jan- Michael Vincent) bursts into a meeting between his father Harry (Keenan Wynn) and a business associate named Arthur Bishop (Charles Bronson), and without one word of dialogue and just a couple of stolen glances, it’s patently apparent that there’s something going on subtextually between Bishop and Steve. That brief hint of attraction isn’t mere fantasy, for it turns out that screenwriter Lewis John Carlino actually wanted The Mechanic to explore a gay relationship between an older man and a younger one, all within the context of organized crime and a paid hitman taking on an apprentice. The powers that be (or were) decided in their infinite wisdom that American (and global) movie going audiences weren’t quite ready for such a portrayal, and so The Mechanic ostensibly jettisoned this idea, though it lingers just slightly at times in odd little moments like the quizzical smile Bronson gives to Vincent at various times. It’s notable that when The Mechanic was remade in 2011 with Jason Statham in the title role, there was a gay relationship in the plot, though not between Bishop and Steve. While the decisions to keep the relationship between Bishop and Steve on the straight and narrow (so to speak) may have undercut Carlino’s original conception, it doesn’t materially alter what is an interesting thriller that offers Bronson a chance to trot out his laconic, no nonsense persona as a high tech assassin whose assignments seem to have been ported over from any given episode of Mission: Impossible, replete with a packet of information about his target and, in one case anyway, an improbable combination of picayune plans that require both subterfuge and exact timing.

Perhaps because of this forced retinkering and rethinking of the project, The Mechanic is an often odd mélange of ideas and storytelling procedures. While director Michael Winner invests the films with a couple of action elements like chase sequences (including spectacular separate ones featuring motorcycles and cars), explosions and a couple of brilliantly orchestrated deaths, there are also supposed character beats that are obviously meant to illuminate something about Arthur Bishop (and to a lesser extent, Steve), but never really do much more than point out the obvious—Bishop is incredibly good at killing people, and Steve is a spoiled brat who wants to be incredibly good at killing people.

The Mechanic starts with a fascinating sequence that plays out with absolutely no dialogue for some sixteen minutes, as we see Bishop orchestrating his latest hit. As mentioned above, this unfolds like something out of a Mission: Impossible episode, with Bishop executing a rather improbable set of events to kill a guy about whom we know absolutely nothing. We also see Bishop making his plans in a rather luxe home environment, one that, like Mr. Phelps’ abode in the aforementioned television series, is a mid-century marvel of sliding panels and corkboards where Bishop can post pictures of his victim and ruminate about the best way to go about killing him. After this wordless sequence, Bishop is called to a frantic meeting with Harry for reasons which are only partially clear (Harry is desperate for Bishop to smooth the waters in some kind of deal gone wrong), but once Bishop gets his next marching orders from his unseen superiors, it’s all a moot point anyway, since Harry turns out to be Bishop’s next target.

Harry of course succumbs to Bishop’s plan, but at Harry’s funeral, Bishop is surprised when Steve (who obviously has no inkling of Bishop’s involvement in his father’s death) makes nice and indicates he wants to learn the tricks of Bishop’s trade—even if Steve isn’t completely sure what exactly that trade might be. A bit of a cat and mouse game ensues, until Bishop, for reasons which are never really well motivated, spills the beans about his career of being a “mechanic”, inviting Steve into the fold. Steve’s impulsiveness leads to some unexpected consequences (as well as one of the spectacular chase sequences), which gets the higher ups concerned that Bishop has lost his equilibrium for some reason. Two subsequent and simultaneously unfolding cat and mouse games then ensue—one between Bishop, Steve and a conspiracy against them, and, a bit later, one between Bishop and Steve which turns downright deadly.

The Mechanic has a lot of great elements and at least a couple of surprises. Many people have pointed to the supposed “twist” ending as something that acts as a saving grace for some of the film’s unevenness, but I’d point to another, much lesser, little unexpected moment that shows what the film could have been had some of Carlino’s snap and tartness had been allowed to remain. Mrs. Bronson Jill Ireland shows up in a glorified cameo relatively early in the film as a seemingly deeply in love woman Bishop has had a longstanding relationship with, a woman who is moved to beg Bishop to reveal even a little of the pain he’s obviously carrying. The twist here is beautifully executed, in fact so decisively so that Bishop himself might have planned it.

The Mechanic Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Mechanic is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. While this is a generally solid if unspectacular looking high definition presentation, some fans may be disappointed in the overall softness of the look here, something that's especially noticeable in some of the more brightly lit outdoor scenes. Colors are reasonably accurate looking but also appear just slightly pallid at times, especially with regard to things like fleshtones. Grain is natural looking and actually fairly heavy at times, but there are also minimal compression artifacts that also dot the image on occasion. Fine detail rises appreciably in some close-ups (see screenshot 6), but is otherwise at acceptable levels. The elements are in quite good condition, with only some negligible wear and tear in evidence. Winner's non-stop use of zoom lenses presents no stability issues, but does add at least the perception of softness at times.

The Mechanic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Mechanic's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is surprisingly boisterous at times, revealing things like explosions and gunfire with quite a bit of force and precision. Dialogue is cleanly presented, and Jerry Fielding's moody score sounds nicely full bodied as well. The track exhibits no signs of any damage whatsoever.

The Mechanic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:28)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)


• Audio Commentary with Cinematographer Richard H. Kline is moderated by Nick Redman, who leads Kline (who evidently had never done a commentary before this one) through some okay questions about this film and Kline's long and varied career. This is a bit of a slog and meandering at times, but has some interesting enough information scattered throughout.


• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

The Mechanic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Charles Bronson is his typically stoic, direct self throughout The Mechanic, and the sheer force of the actor's persona helps lift the film above its genre elements. There's little doubt that Carlino's original conception would have given this film a focus it lacks in its current form, but that doesn't mean that The Mechanic outright fails due to its somewhat meandering qualities. Vincent is perfectly cast as a smug pretty boy, and Michael Winner stages some fantastic set pieces. The film may never gel as a whole, and certainly doesn't ever really reveal anything profound about either of its main characters, but it's a fun ride nonetheless. This Blu-ray offers very good to excellent technical merits, and comes Recommended.