The Mechanic

Jo Bryant

I am a huge Jan-Michael Vincent fan.

He played the role of Steve, with Charles Bronson as Arthur Bishop, in the 1972 version of The Mechanic.

The film was a classic.

So that you are clear – The 1972 film is one of my favourite movies in the world.

Sometimes Hollywood should learn to leave classics alone.

I finally convinced myself to watch the remake. After all – how bad could it be?

I like Jason Statham – he’s made some good movies.

  • Snatch
  • Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
  • Transporter
  • The Italian Job
  • The Bank Job

All movies I have liked.

And I like Donald Sutherland.

Honestly – Jason Statham really wasn’t bad in The Mechanic. But he wasn’t Charles Bronson.

Donald Sutherland wasn’t bad either. He is after all – Donald Sutherland.

But what the hell were they thinking.

Jan-Michael Vincent was chilling as Steve.

He was the perfect counterpart to Bronson’s Arthur Bishop.

Stunningly handsome and about as screwed up as you can get.

Ben Foster played the 2011 Steve as a wimp. A twisted wimp – but a wimp who shed tears…

Please.

Tears.

Steve shedding tears.

Are you people crazy ????

Steve is a psychopath who has no compassion for anyone.

And that is what made the 1972 movie so compelling. Watching him play off against Arthur Bishop was riveting. All I wanted to do watching this version was give him a swift kick and tell him to grows some balls.

They also played around with other parts of the film that made it so great.

The beginning of the 1972 movie had no dialogue for over 15 minutes – it was fantastic filming.

Bishop’s relationship with the prostitute he hired to write love letters to him.

Steve’s offhand treatment of Louise (his girlfriend) when she slits her wrists.

The last mission Bishop and Steve go on together – the fact it was a set-up to kill them both.

They altered all these parts of the movie. All of them.

But what really ticked me off.

The ending.

In the 1972 version, both Bishop and Steve die.

As it should be – people – as it should be.

My thinking is that they are considering a sequel – because they kept Bishop alive in this one.

I hate wasting time – which is precisely what I did when I spent the 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 31 seconds it took to get to the end of this film.

I thought about adding a clip from the 2011 version – but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I just couldn’t.

Published by Jo Bryant

I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.

14 Comments

  2. Definitely have to agree with you on this one. I was really looking forward to an update of this film. They screwed up just like you said. The new version is not a bad movie and standing alone would have been a very good movie. But the fact that it was a remake of a movie that was already excellent makes it a bad remake and therefore a film that would have been best not made at all. Once again Hollywood doesn’t get it right.

    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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    1. Good to hear I am not the only one that thinks this way. I don’t understand why Hollywood has to keep rehasing movies – surely there must be new scripts out there from which to make a movie from…

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  3. Guess I’ll have to watch “The Mechanic” — the one with Jan-Michael Vincent. I was in love with him from years ago (TV movie “Tribes”). So cute, so vulnerable. So not within my reach (heavy sigh).

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    1. The 1972 movie is excellent. So much drama going on in all these great little undercurrents that the new one doesn’t have. Jan-Michael was amazing in it – he made a lot of excellent films, and I loved him in The Winds of War – shame what happened to him later. 🙂

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    1. Glad you liked it. I loved that movie – watched it again and again.
      I’ve always been a Bronson fan. From Noon Til three – the Death Wish series, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, all great films. I loved how he had Jill Ireland in so many of his films.
      And as I said – Jan-Michael Vincent – huge, huge fan – Buster and Billie, White Line Fever, The Undeafeated, Going Home, Shadow of the Hawk, and The Winds of War, never forgetting my all time favourite performance of his in Big Wednesday as Matt.
      So this remake – grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
      😦

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    1. Do watch the original – OTT fantastic psychological drama. I hate that they changed all the things that made it great. It turned into an action wannabe flick !! Just hate it. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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    1. I am so glad others think the same. If it wasn’t a downloaded copy on my laptop I think I would have stomped on the damn thing – with gleeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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