The Mechanic : Post deleted

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Re: The Killer of Killers???

I have the same DVD with the "Killer of Killers" trailer. 1.) I don't know why the name was changed...perhaps the name "The Mechanic" confused buyers, not knowing aforehand that in underworld parlance that "Mechanic" means a hired assasin and would be expecting a picture about cars maybe? 2.)Obviously this trailer was put together after the succsess Bronson had with "Death Wish". "The Mechanic" didn't do that great at the box office here in the states but fared better in Europe were Bronson was already very admired and famous. 3.) I think the reversal of "bad guy" to "good guy" in the trailer may have been done to attract newer Bronson fans who had accepted his "vigilante" or underdog/good guy character Paul Kersey in "Death Wish". I agree with you that it is reminisent of 70's Hollywood style methods of promoting and re-marketing...I even remember the examples you give.

I don't know if there ever was a re-tooling of "The Mechanic" with different scenes,dialouge or alternate endings that matched the trailer. I know "Killer of Killers" was never (to my knowledge) shown on American TV...I remember seeing "The Mechanic" on TV in my memory as early as 1975. In fact it aired on TV often enough through the 1980's. I remember also renting the VHS version as "The Mechanic" in in 1992. Before I purchased the DVD, I rented it from NetFlix...still titled "The Mechanic".

I'm a huge fan of Charles Bronson and in particular of "The Mechanic" (the Arthur Bishop character reminded me a lot of my own father in many ways) I have the DVD, The Soundtrack (vinyl and the recent CD release), 2 pre-shooting drafts of the script by Lewis John Carlino and the novel as well, and outside of a few differences in location and some "compressing" typically done to tighten things up a bit for film, everything plays out pretty much in the same manner as it does in the film.

Interestingly enough in all my searching for these items I've never once run across any hard copy (VHS or DVD) with the changed title "Killer of Killers". I've only read speculation about this and no definitive answers.

If you want to learn more about "The Mechanic" and Charles Bronson the posts on this board and the Charles Bronson board by "wmjahn" are particularly good and extremely well versed and written.

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Re: The Killer of Killers???

How is the ending in The Killer Of Killers?

Re: The Killer of Killers???

This "Killer of Killers" thread is becoming very interesting to me. At the moment I'm answering this post after my 2nd glass of Merlot (which is better than 6:45 AM without coffee...when I first saw this post). I'm begining to see this whole "Killer of Killers" as some kind of Charles Bronson/"The Mechanic" urban legend. Yes, there is this odd slice and dice role reversal trailer on the DVD of "The Mechanic" ...but has anyone anywhere actually ever seen "Killer of Killers" (DVD, TV or in a movie theater)?

I find very little about its theatrical re-release or its availabiltiy for purchase in any media form (VHS or DVD) on any of my online searches. I had an easier time finding the decades out of print novelization of "The Mecahnic" (Lewis John Carlino)...a faded yellowing paperback for under $10.00 including shipping, and an old vinyl LP of the soundtrack by Jerry Fielding as well as two pre-shooting drafts of the script (also L.J. Carlino) in an old cinema memorabilia shop on Hollywood Blvd. So, In all honesty (playing the "what if" card)...if there really is a "Killer of Killers" print or DVD out there, which I've yet to see... I don't know how it ends.

So I conclude (so I may enjoy another glass of Merlot) by answering your question with a question...Has anybody out there (and that includes you, WMJAHN my overseas friend !) actually seen "Killer of KIllers"? If so could you please tell us a little bit about it. The obvious question being (without spoilers)...how does it end?

Yes Virginia, there really is a "Killer of Killers"

Re: The Killer of Killers???

Did you ever see a trailer in a movie
theater for an upcoming movie that never
came?

We all know that a trailer was made
for Killer of killers but what if
in the end,MGM simply decided not to
re release the movie?

Unless somebody comes on this board
and says the contrary,it seems that
Killer of killers was only a trailer
and that The mechanic was never re release
with this title in the theaters.

Re: The Killer of Killers???

Well it seems this thread is alive again after a 2 year plus hiatus ! Well, I suppose with the upcoming Jason Statham re-make of "The Mechanic" this along with a number of other threads on this board will come back to life.

As far as trailers that are shown in which the film never comes out ...I not sure. On interesting film I did see at a screening on the MGM lot was a film about a bunch of kids at a space camp somehow getting into and launching the Space Shuttle...it was actually pretty good. I forget who directed it but I seem to remember John Williams doing the music for it. Well, very soon after the screening the Challenger space shuttle disaster occurred. Well of course this film never saw the light of day.

I honestly think that the "Killer of Killers" trailer was just that ..a trailer and whatever idea had been hatched to re-release "The Mechanic" under a different name never came to any fruition.

I'll agree with you that "The Mechanic" was never re-released with the name "Killer of Killers" at any point.

Re: The Killer of Killers???

---------------------------------------------------
As far as trailers that are shown in which the film
never comes out...i'm not sure.One interesting film i
did see at a screening on the MGM lot was a film
about a bunch of kids at a space camp somehow getting
into and launching the space shuttle(...)i forgot
who directed it(...)
-----------------------------------------------------
I'm pretty sure that the movie was SPACE CAMP(1986).
That movie was released in the theaters.

When there's alot of money involved in a movie production
,they usually delay the release when a tragedy happens.

They did it a few times with PHONE BOOTH(2003)and of
course for COLLATERAL DAMAGE(2002)after 9/11.

LiVE WIRE(1992)with Pierce Brosnan and BOILING POINT(1993)
with Wesley Snipes were two movies which i saw the trailers
in the theater but which were never shown.

It must be noted that i live in a small city in quebec
canada.The biggest city near it is Montreal which sometimes
gets movies that we don't get but they're always advertised
in the newspaper that i read and over the years i have always
checked these newspapers out.

Based on Boxofficemojo,i get the feeling that
BOILING POINT might not have been released in
my country but was released in the U.S.A.

As for LIVE WIRE,it doesn't seem like it
was released in theaters in the U.S.A or in
Canada.


Re: The Killer of Killers???

The one movie trailer I remember seeing in the theaters and then the film not being released was "Halloween 666".

I believe they did however re-tool the film and release it under a different title.
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