The Mechanic 4K 1972

Bronson's best collaboration with Winner since Death Wish. A powerful, timeless film BY and FOR men. The abundance of high-quality action scenes does not overshadow the psychological underpinnings of the characters' father-son relationship, from which a corresponding Freudian resolution emerges.

One of the first films to vividly illustrate the work of hired killers as if it were the most ordinary profession, like a welder or a carpenter. The opening long silent scene is particularly impressive, when Bronson's character comes to an apartment and fiddles with something in the kitchen like a real gas man from the housing office, but after ten minutes it becomes clear that you are not watching a film about a gas mechanic.

The predictability of the plot does not spoil the impression and makes you want to watch it again. Winner tried to replace the canonical intrigue of American crime films with European atmosphere. In part, he succeeded: the script for The Mechanic would have been quite suitable for the duo of Gabin and Delon. Therefore, it is not surprising that Winner shot his next film, Scorpion, with a similar plot (only with spies instead of killers), starring Europeans and... Alain Delon. However, Gabin's place was taken by the equally brilliant Burt Lancaster.