He has 100 ways to kill... and they all work!
Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and lonely that he takes on one of his victim's sons, Steve McKenna, as his apprentice. Arthur puts him through a rigorous training period and brings him on several hits. As Steven improves, Arthur worries that he'll discover who killed his father.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Classical in form, grave, earnest and spare.
- classical in formformally daring
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- sparerichly built
- unpretentiousprestige
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is The Mechanic better than Death Wish?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is it too cool to love?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Would a little humor have helped?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Dec 20247/10
"Bishop" (Charles Bronson) is the epitome of the hit man. Highly paid, he meticulously plans his projects so as to leave no trace of anything to suggest the deaths are not natural or accidents. When he is ordered to carry out a job on his handler "Harry" (Keenan Wynn), he doesn't flinch but he does take the man's son "Steve" (Jan-Michael Vincent) under his wing afterwards. It's clear that the younger man wants to emulate "Bishop" and so he takes him in training and onto a couple of jobs. These jobs don't go as smoothly as he'd expected, though, and pretty swiftly "Bishop" begins to wonder if he's being set up. If his employers can turn on "Harry" then could they turn on him, too - no more loose ends? Bronson is on his best form here as the grumpy but highly effective killer and as the plot develops, his less-is-more style of delivery, aided by a sensible paucity of dialogue, helps to build quite a sense of peril. Vincent isn't quite in that class, but he's adequate enough as the enthusiastic apostle in a story that maybe isn't the hardest to solve, but one that does play out well with a fine twist at the end. It's got some elements of "007" to it - fast cars, speed boats and even J
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Charles BronsonArthur Bishop
- Jan-Michael VincentSteve McKenna
- Keenan WynnHarry McKenna
- Jill IrelandThe Girl
- Linda RidgewayLouise, Steve McKenna's Girlfriend
- Frank De KovaThe Man
- James DavidsonIntern
- Lindsay CrosbyPoliceman
- Steve CoryMessenger
- Tak KubotaYamoto
Crew
- Michael WinnerDirector
- Lewis John CarlinoScreenplay
- Richard H. KlineDirector of Photography
- Jerry FieldingOriginal Music Composer
- Frederick WilsonEditor
- Michael WinnerEditor
- Robert ChartoffProducer
- Irwin WinklerProducer
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Black Angel 194681% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
The Criminal 196081% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
Phantom Lady 194480% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
Last Known Address 197079% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
A Kiss Before Dying 195678% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
The Enforcer 195178% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
No Name on the Bullet 195977% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
The Last Seduction 199477% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, spare.
The ABC Murders 201873% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, grave, earnest.
The Sweeney 197573% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, grave, earnest.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
