This picture is notable for a motorcycle stunt where a motorbike rider, at the end of a long chase, rides his bike off a 200 foot cliff. Husqvarna motorcycles were specially adapted to film the chase hitting speeds of nearly 110 miles per hour while filming on location at Indian Dunes, Newhall, California.
There is no dialogue for the first 16 minutes.
The rundown hotel in downtown Los Angeles where the first victim resides has a dive bar on the corner. Its name? The Hard Rock Cafe - first discovered by the Doors, who actually used it as for photos of the band for the back cover and gatefold of the Morrison Hotel album in 1970. Side One is actually entitled "Hard Rock Cafe," to boot. Soon after, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton asked the Doors for permission to 'borrow' the name for their soon-to-open restaurant in London.
Lewis John Carlino described The Mechanic as "one of the great disappointments of my life", continuing:
"I wanted a commentary on the use of human relationships and sexual manipulation in the lives of two hired killers. It was supposed to be a chess game between the older assassin and his young apprentice. The younger man sees that he can use his sexuality to find the Achilles heel that he needs to win. There was a fascinating edge to it, though, because toward the end the younger man began to fall in love, and this fought with his desire to beat the master and take his place as number one....The picture was supposed to be a real investigation into this situation, and it turned into a pseudo James Bond film".
"I wanted a commentary on the use of human relationships and sexual manipulation in the lives of two hired killers. It was supposed to be a chess game between the older assassin and his young apprentice. The younger man sees that he can use his sexuality to find the Achilles heel that he needs to win. There was a fascinating edge to it, though, because toward the end the younger man began to fall in love, and this fought with his desire to beat the master and take his place as number one....The picture was supposed to be a real investigation into this situation, and it turned into a pseudo James Bond film".
Bishop's painting that features significantly is "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch. The original is in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.