Before Jason Statham killed a bunch of people on film, hell before Death Wish, veteran tough guy actor, mustache extraordinaire, and eventual killing machine, Charles Bronson, teamed up with director Michael Winner to bring the world The Mechanic. As with most mid-70's Bronson flicks, the plot is secondary to how many people Bronson kills and how cool he is when he kills them. In that regard The Mechanic is excellent. There's an unusual amount of restraint present throughout The Mechanic and in particular the opening 15 minutes which contain no dialogue. Soon enough Bronson will be teaching the ropes of contract killing to that guy from Airwolf (unfortunately Winner did not cast Ernest Borgnine in the mentee role) and things will blow up with a much higher frequency but the opening of the movie is a tense and interesting sequence. Bronson is very Bronsonesque throughout the film, spouting off one-liners, riding motorcycles, shooting large weapons and grooming his mustache. Without him The Mechanic would in all likelihood be terrible but Bronson's presence is enough to vault the movie into the realm of "good enough time waster." It also affirmatively answers the age old question; "If Bronson's hair covers his eyes, can he still use binoculars effectively?"
Rating: 3.5
Special Bronson Rating: 4.5
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