Columbia Pictures
Not part of a collection.
The Professionals
Rough, tough and ready.
An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.
- Original title
- The Professionals
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
John Chard
Mar 30, 2016 · via TMDB
4 soldiers of fortune, one kidnapped wife, one explosive mission. The Professionals comes out of Columbia Pictures and it is based around the novel "A Mule for the Marquesa" written by Frank O'Rourke. Written and directed by Richard Brooks it stars Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Woody Strode, Jack Palance and Claudia Cardinale. A Panavision and Technicolor presentation it features cinematography by Conrad L. Hall and Maurice Jarre scores the music. One of the stand out Oaters from the 1960s that is often forgotten in light of what was to come from Sam Peckinpah three years later. Though far more light hearted than "Bloody Sam's Magnum Opus" that was The Wild Bunch, Richard Brook's film has many similarities. Themes of friendship, loyalty, disillusionment and of course the changing of the Old West all get dealt a hand here, with Brooks and his team upping the action stakes in a ball of explosions, gun fights and verbal jousting. Hell! The film is even a touch risqué, with nudity, sex and a wife in distress that is not as saintly as one would expect. Set in 1917 on the Mexican-Texas border, just after the Mexican revolution, The Professionals' only real problem is the thin story. However, Brooks is not interested in going too deep with his plot, he's more concerned with playing it for thrills and back slapping camaraderie. Which works magnificently due to the impressive cast that has assembled for the movie. Marvin plays it restrained as Henry 'Rico' Fardan, the weary leader of the group sent into Mexico to "rescue" Claudia Cardinale's (sultry but some fluctuating accent issues) Mrs. Maria Grant from the clutches of Palance's (excellent) Bandido supreme, Jesus Raza. Lancaster is a whirlwind of testosterone as explosives expert Bill Dolworth, while Ryan and Strode are smooth background characters as the conscientious Hans Ehrengard & muscular tracker and bowman, Jake Sharp, respectively. The only complaint about the characters comes with Ralph Bellamy's Joe Grant, the apparently fraught husband who sets the men off on their mission. He's in the beginning and the end of the pic, but it's just not enough screen time to really grasp his make up and thus the character is rendered as underdeveloped. Hall's photography is exceptional as he shoots on location at Death Valley, Lake Mead and the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. The browns are smooth on the eye and the capturing of the odd rock formations a real treat. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work, as was Brooks in the Best Direction and Best Screenplay categories. The shoot actually suffered some serious problems such as dust storms and flash floods, thus causing severe delays. But the end result was worth it for the film was a success at the box office. The public promptly lapped it up, yes it's a bit close to the knuckle sometimes, but there's never a dull moment in it. It's basically a ripper of a good time. 8/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Netflix
fuboTV
Netflix Standard with Ads
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Burt Lancaster
Dolworth
Lee Marvin
Fardan
Robert Ryan
Ehrengard
Woody Strode
Jake
Jack Palance
Jesus Raza
Claudia Cardinale
Maria
Ralph Bellamy
Grant
Joe De Santis
Ortega
Rafael Bertrand
Fierro
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos
Padilla
Marie Gomez
Chiquita
José Chávez
Revolutionary
Vaughn Taylor
Banker
Elizabeth Campbell
Mexican Girl (uncredited)
Leigh Chapman
Lady (uncredited)
Roberto Contreras
Bandit (uncredited)
Eddie Little Sky
Jake's Prisoner (uncredited)
John McKee
Sheriff (uncredited)
Ron Veto
Mexican Soldier (uncredited)
Conrad Hall
Director of Photography
John Hudkins
Stunts
John McKee
Stunts
Ron Veto
Stunts
Tony Epper
Stunts
Richard Brooks
Director
Richard Brooks
Producer
Maurice Jarre
Original Music Composer
Richard Brooks
Screenplay
Ace of Cactus Range
Ace of the Law
Okey, Mister Pancho
Protector
The Young Blood Chronicles
Star Wars
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Return of the Jedi
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Searchers
Iron Man
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Thelma & Louise
Stagecoach
Duel
Captain from Castile
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Cannibals
The Guardian
El Norte
The Black Stallion
Escape from New York
Sanctuary
The Ballad of Cable Hogue
Rob-B-Hood
Hidalgo
Breakdown
One Piece: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventure in Alabasta
Curse of the Golden Flower
Hook
Viva Zapata!
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
3 Kids and a Queen
The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel
Come Drink with Me
Backdraft
Close Range
The Grizzly and the Treasure
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Taken 2
Hostage
The Way of the Gun
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Missing: Keti Harayeko Suchana
Dune
Killing Zoe
The Legend of Zorro
Excess Baggage
Gerry
The Net
Paradise
Bandidas
The Runner
Legionnaire
Breathless
The Ewok Adventure
The Prisoner of Zenda
My Outlaw Brother
You May Not Kiss the Bride
Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick
Hulk
Revolt
Pistol Whipped
BMX Bandits
Killer Force
Take a Hard Ride
Angel in the Night
Extraction
Rain for a Dusty Summer
45 Calibre Echo
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
Tarzan the Ape Man
Tunnelblick
Lost Continent
Journey Beneath the Desert
Lostless
Garras: El diablo y Dios están de vacaciones
PENCOERIAN BALIK!
Everybody Dies
Limited Time Rescue
The Last Stand of Ellen Cole
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Thieves Highway
Old Henry
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Young Guns
Mackenna's Gold
Blackthorn
Cliffhanger
The Magnificent Seven
El Gringo
Triple Frontier
The Unholy Trinity
Extreme Prejudice
The Missing
Killer Elite
Day of Reckoning
Surrounded
Return of the Seven
Terror on the Prairie
The Mountain Men
100 Rifles
Jane Got a Gun
Dead for a Dollar
The Chase
Nov 1, 1966
