MovieChat Forums > The Mechanic (1972) Discussion > HOW IN THE HELL DOES THAT ENDING MAKE SE...

HOW IN THE HELL DOES THAT ENDING MAKE SENSE???

posted 20 years ago by sammyc_99
26 replies | jump to latest

ALRIGHT MAYBE IM JUST STUPID(WHICH IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY)BUT I DONT UNDERSTAND THE ENDING--HERES THE SEQUENCE--STEVE POISONS ARTHUR(HE'S DEAD??)--THEN THEY SHOW HIM DRIVING HIS CAR--HE PARKS IT--GOES INTO THE HOUSE--COMES OUT AND THE NOTES THERE WAITING FOR HIM-BOOM HES DEAD--SO BASED ON THIS--ARTHUR WOULD HAVE TO BE STILL ALIVE-- CORRECT???HOW ELSE DID THE NOTE GET PINNED UP AND THE BOMB PLANTED---STEVE JUST DROVE THE DAMN CAR TO THE HOUSE!--SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN

[–] ciphoid_9 20 years ago

LOL. You might want to watch the movie again and take a closer look at the car which drove up to Arthur's house in the final scene! But anyway, here's your answer, sammyc 99: Arthur knew that Steve was going to try to kill him. So he planted a bomb in Steve's car with a message before they departed to Italy. Steve killed Arthur in Italy, returned home, and went up to Arthur's house in a taxi. He goes into the house, leaves the house, gets into his car, reads the note, and BOOOM. Steve's wormfood.

[–] WarpedRecord 16 years ago

Do worms eat ashes?

[–] Doom 16 years ago

Dude, CAPS LOCK button... push it.

------

Wait a minute... who am I here?

[–] layton59 14 years ago

QUOTE:

ALRIGHT MAYBE IM JUST STUPID(WHICH IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY)BUT I DONT UNDERSTAND THE ENDING--HERES THE SEQUENCE--STEVE POISONS ARTHUR(HE'S DEAD??)--THEN THEY SHOW HIM DRIVING HIS CAR--HE PARKS IT--GOES INTO THE HOUSE--COMES OUT AND THE NOTES THERE WAITING FOR HIM-BOOM HES DEAD--SO BASED ON THIS--ARTHUR WOULD HAVE TO BE STILL ALIVE-- CORRECT???HOW ELSE DID THE NOTE GET PINNED UP AND THE BOMB PLANTED---STEVE JUST DROVE THE DAMN CAR TO THE HOUSE!--SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN

Steve was clearly driven to the house by a TAXI CAB. It even shows Steve paying the cabdriver with a roll of money from his pocket.

Arthur boobtrapped the Mustang car with the bomb before going to Europe with Steve.

**********************************************
Ye Olde Sig Line:

It should be "I can NOT care less."

You are at the lowest level of caring.

[–] jaddjamar 15 years ago

lmao largo1965 !

[–] Dustbowler 15 years ago

I guess the OP overlooked the fact that the two cars don't even look alike. So yeah, I chalk this up to him being a moron.

Who says violence is not the answer?

[–] tallen0915 14 years ago

Actually everyone needs to watch the end of the movie a little closer. The bomb is in the ball of wax that Arthur used as a stress reliever. Even more improbable, becaause what if Steve never picked it up?

[–] jetliner-theduke 14 years ago

Well, I've watched this movie and really picked it apart. Although I have the novel, and 2 working drafts of the script (One very close to the filming start date...it's only missing the scene in the Wax Museum)there is no mention of the bomb being connected to the ball of wax.

However...!!! I did watch the scene, and YES...the way the camera shots are edited in that scene with the ball is very specific. I'm gonna side with you on this one. In the novel and the working drafts of the script and even the liner notes to the CD of the Jerry Fielding soundtrack...there is a sub text to the relationship between Bishop and Steve McKenna, essentially that Steve wanted to become "Bishop". So its not all that improbable to the ever thoughtful Bishop that Steve would return to the house in Los Angeles and take over. (Ironically ..the first to the last piece of music on the soundtrack CD is entitled "Steve Takes Over".) And, of course pick up that ball of wax.

One other point even thought some people may disagree with your theory.. that in the scripts I have and the novel, there is no specific details on what the explosive was or how it was rigged to work. Only what is in the mote on the dashboard mirror..so the possibilities of the workings of Bishop's final "hit" are open to interpretation.

So, I'll just close for now by saying (...and please pardon this horrible pun) I think you may have touched on a whole other "ball of wax" here...

Very interesting indeed !!!

[–] rexcrammer 14 years ago

I think you are making it more complicated then it is. Bishop knew Steve would have to return to the house to retrieve his car. He placed the note in the car and the bomb under the seat with the trigger connected to the car door. Bishop even says in the note that Steve broke a filament connected to a 13 second delay trigger. 13 seconds being just about the amount of time to open the door, read the note, and Bang!!

A bomb in a ball of wax would have been too complicated and there is no certainty that Steve would have picked it up. Bishop did not plan hits leaving things to chance. Remember his line "dead sure or dead." Steve picking up his car was foreseeable.

Additionally, Steve picked up the ball of wax in Bishops house. If the explosive was attached to the ball of wax then why didn't it blow up in the house? Also if you watch the explosion in slow motion, it seems to blow upwards and out. Just like a bomb placed under the seat would behave.

I think the focus on the wax ball in the end was reinforcing the idea that Steve planned to take over Bishops life. Adapt some of his mannerisms and style. The ball of wax was a symbol of that.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] YouKnowMyName68 11 years ago

What did Largo1965 say?

"You know, my name..."

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jaddjamar 14 years ago

Steve drove up in a taxi or he paid himself for driving his own ass home lol.

Do you understand the words that I am saying to you?

[–] rogerdemarco30 14 years ago

For those that don't get it. The ball of wax was the detonator....not the bomb itself.

[–] mondieu21 14 years ago

Lol, no, it wasn't.

Read rexcrammer's post again, he got it all right.

Did you guys even watch the movie?

It was written on the damn note that he triggered the bomb by pulling a string when he opened the car door.

How hard is it to understand that?

[–] rogerdemarco30 14 years ago

The note never said that...it said that he broke a 'filament'. It also mentioned a 13-second delay trigger was used and 13 seconds doesn't elapse between the time of the door opening and the bomb going off.

[–] porsche1974-1 14 years ago

Will all people claiming the bomb was in the ball of wax please line up..................................................................
so I can shoot them for not paying attention and being stupid!
Bomb in a ball of wax! Really? Hmmm. Hmmm.

'Let's eat Grandma!' or, 'Let's eat, Grandma!' Punctuation saves lives. Use it. Save a life.

[–] ralanmace 10 years ago

I'm with you dude! The bomb was in the ball of wax, the ball of wax was the detonator... Where do people get this sh!t? SOOOOO much stupid. No wonder Obama won twice.

[–] thorin_bane 9 years ago

Because even dough heads that voted in bush the second time after we knew he lied about Iraq have keyboards. Americans, morons of different shades of brown arguing who smells less like crap.

[–] moon-girl 13 years ago

Well, it doesn't take him 13 seconds to pick up the ball of wax, stroll out to the car and read the entire note either. Why would Arthur put a bomb in the ball of wax, which is inside of the house, and leave a note about it in the car? It's obvious he wanted to let him know what was coming, why else write the note? How could he have been sure that he would have had to time to get out to the car and read the note before the bomb went off? I didn't actually time it, but 13 sounds about right to open up a car door, get in, read a note, and start to panic. I think the only significance the ball of wax has is that it shows how Steve was trying to usurp his life.

[–] djensen1 13 years ago

Yes, from the time Steve opens the car door to the time the bomb explodes is 13 seconds, so clearly the filament is attached to the car door. The ball of wax is just symbolic of Steve's desire to emulate Arthur.

[–] Prismark10 12 years ago

Its a good job that car never got stolen!

Its that man again!!

[–] fastguy45 9 years ago

rogerdemarco30: EXACTLY 13 seconds elapses from the car door opening to the detonation.

Case closed.

[–] rosie485 11 years ago

THANK GOD for that ending - Steve didn't get away with it!! Understand now??

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]