Opening Of "The Mechanic"

The Mechanic

From this opening we can see wealth plays a key part through the use of the air craft and mansion. With wealth usually arouses completion and death causing the genre to be action/thriller. This genre is confirmed by the assassination of a wealthy man in the beginning by a well trained, high experienced killer. This already fits the stereotype of action/thriller movies.

Diegetic noise is present from the very start of the film which sets the scene creating realism for the viewers, for example the large steel doors opening and cars engines. With the absence of any music we are unable to sense the mood of the scene which makes us interested in what’s going to happen next. As an important character enters the scene South African non-dietetic music starts to play creating a sound motif. The use of this particular music suggests they are in a different country or the character is of a different origin.  As the business men are travelling through a poor area the same music continues to play the audience start to sense culture in the area. As he enters his mansion all music stops and its back to diegetic sound. At this moment the audience are unaware of what’s going to happen but as he starts to swim, suspense filled music plays indicating something is definitely going to happen. During the attack the music is at its highest tempo and accompanied by muffled screams causing excitement and drama. This music continues until the killer gets away. After we know he has had clean escape heroic music plays creating sense of victory.

Two main characters are introduced, the good guy and presumably one of the bad guys. The first one is a wealthy business man with a comrade of men who work solely for him and must obey him completely. He shows his wealth through his mode of transport and his house. The ‘good guy’ is introduced although he could be perceived as a bad guy as he just murdered someone but we are lead to believe that man’s death is acceptable. He fits the stereotype of an action man as he is muscular and tough and fits the stereotype of a hit man as he is ruthless with the murder, showed no emotion and knew exactly what he was doing through the use of his clever assassination which was made to look like an accident alongside his clean clam getaway showing he definitely has experience.


Use of camera is key as it manipulates you into feeling a certain way about a scene. The first shot we see is a long shot of very large doors opening setting the scene. The camera then swaps to a low angle shot from underneath the bonnet of expensive cars and a jet this symbolises mass importance of not only these possessions but more on the person who has the wealth to own them. We as the audience are now intrigued into who owns them and how he has made his fortune. A high angle shot of expensive black shiny cars travelling through a poor area immediately shows that they are more powerful. At this point this wealthy man has not been shown creating sense of unknown causing excitement. Then we get a close up of a man’s face, we known he is the rich man as he is watching his men abuse innocent people. The fact that we is just watching suggests that he is either too scared to do his own dirty work or he feels he is too important to fight with people of a lower class. At this point in the film the audience have their opinion of this man, that he is a bad person who has most likely made his millions unlawfully. The long shot of his house with high walls that hide it from being fully seen, is a metaphor for him and how that we can’t see all his personality and there are parts that are hidden. A high angle shot of him walking into his house showing off his chandelier and him drinking champagne furthers the idea of wealth. While swimming he is grabbed from underneath which then goes to his point of view shot showing no bodyguards in sight, showing that when he is alone he is vulnerable, weak and unable to protect himself. As we see the hit man for the first time the audience sees his muscular physique informing us he is the stereotypical action man. All the shots after his death are high angle to show he has lost all his power and statues now.