Scott LeBrun "The Professionals" is classic cinema in terms of the "gathering together men for a mission" plot. In this case, a quartet of guys who specialize in weapons (Lee Marvin as Fardan), horses (Robert Ryan as Ehrengard), tracking (Woody Strode as Jake), and explosives (Burt Lancaster as Dolworth), are assembled by millionaire J.W. Grant (Ralph Bellamy). Grant wants the men to rescue his hot young wife Maria (Claudia Cardinale) from Mexican bandit Jesus Raza (Jack Palance). Fardan and Dolworth know Raza from their days of fighting in the Mexican revolution, and can't believe this is the same guy they once knew. As it turns out, they don't know the true story.Adapted by director Richard Brooks from the novel "A Mule for the Marquesa" by Frank O'Rourke, this is wonderfully made in every aspect. The script, which touches upon ideas of compassion, selflessness vs. selfishness, morality, and duplicity, has some choice dialogue. Marvin, Ryan, Strode, and Lancaster make a *great* team, their personalities nicely contrasting along the way. Each man gets a very brief but effective introduction during the opening credits sequence, and each of them is engaging in his own subtle way. Lancaster is source for a fair amount of humour - he ends up in his underwear not once but twice - while Strode is a true "strong yet silent" type. Cardinale is delightfully spirited as the victim. Bellamy, Joe De Santis as Ortega, Jorge Martinez de Hoyos as the likable goat keeper Padilla, and Marie Gomez as the fiery revolutionary Chiquita are all similarly superb.Rousing music by Maurice Jarre, lovely photography by Conrad Hall, and excellent extensive use of very rural locations all size up as heavy assets. This is a fairly long film at just under two hours, but a lot of care and detail goes into the rescue mission, and it's fun to watch this team at work, doing what they do best. At first, it would seem that the Raza character is painfully under written, but the more scenes with him that we see towards the end, the more we understand him.Superior entertainment, with a particularly satisfying wrap-up.Nine out of 10.

dougdoepke Certainly can't say I was shortchanged in the action department. If it's not dynamite going off, it's a fusillade of rifle or pistol shots, with an occasional machine gun or bow and arrow thrown in. I expect if it were 50-years later, an A-bomb would also appear. Devious rich guy Grant (Bellamy) hires four soldiers of fortune (the four principal actors) to retrieve his kidnapped wife Maria (Cardinale) from Mexican bandito cum revolutionary Raza (Palance). Each hired professional has his military specialty, and between them they blow up half the Mexican countryside getting the wife back. Then too, Raza's no bleeding heart revolutionary as we see him cold-bloodedly execute about 20 captured Federales. So when the professionals, headed by Fardan (Marvin) make a shambles of Raza's base, we figure good riddance.The thing is that this is more than just an action picture with a major twist at the end. In addition, there's a subtle theme playing out in the subtext of a quite clever script. When, at the end, the professionals trail after Raza and and Maria as they head back to Mexico and the revolution, we know the four are not just soldiers of fortune or military professionals, they're idealists, as well. After all, as Raza informs Dolworth (Lancaster), revolution is like a beautiful woman, you are drawn to even though you know the realities will inevitably disappoint. So now, having rejected millionaire Grant and what he represents, the four trail after the beautiful Maria and the wounded Raza. And now we know something more profound has been going on beneath the action filled surface, entertaining though it is.Marvin and Lancaster are excellent in their dominant roles, while Strode gets a fringe role, which for the time period—early 1900's—is not surprising for a black man. Too bad, as others point out, that the superb Robert Ryan is not given more to do, but I guess that was because of health concerns. Fortunately, Palance resists the temptation to over-emote in a role that invites such. However, too many other Mexicans appear stereotyped in boisterous, sneering Hollywood fashion, the movie's biggest failing, in my little book.Anyway, it's an exceptional action movie, well acted, staged, and photographed, with a sneaky script and first-rate direction by writer-director Brooks.

knucklebreather "The Professionals" is one of those westerns made when the genre was getting a little tired, but before it was okay to completely throw out the old rules. The story is simple enough: a wealthy land baron hires four professionals, who are each the best at what they do, to go on a daring mission deep into Mexico, amid a faltering revolution, to bring back his kidnapped wife. Lee Marvin leads the band, playing a grizzled veteran of that revolution, with Burt Lancaster receiving top-billing and playing a dynamite expert who is easily tempted by women and adventure. The crew is rounded out by a bow-and-arrow and tracking expert (Woody Strode) and a veteran horseman (Robert Ryan). This is definitely a movie that hangs its hat on action, with shootouts spaced periodically through the movie to keep the audience awake and a signature raid on the Mexican revolutionaries/kidnappers camp at mid- film that was only a notch or two below similar scenes in more modern films, and was thus very enjoyable. These scenes were fine, albeit a little silly with the Lancaster's bottomless supply of amazing TNT. However, the rest of the movie plods on predictably. There are definitely attempts at character development but perhaps the wooden Lee Marvin as a central character makes the whole thing hard to enjoy except when the bullets (and TNT-laden arrows) are flying. I was definitely disappointed when the spectacular camp raid scene ended too quickly and I realized there were still over 30 minutes of film left with the best scene in the rear-view mirror.I would watch about 20 or 30 other classic westerns before getting to this one. It's not bad, the action sequences were certainly worth the price of admission in 1966, but it shows why the traditional western as a dominant genre was living on borrowed time.

writers_reign On paper this is a great movie; skillful writer-director, first-rate cast, how can it miss, let me count the ways. For one thing the plot is too close to The Magnificent Seven - a group of American adventurers getting involved in Mexican problems - the difference is of course that the seven worked pro bono and these four professionals are in it for the money. For an 'action' film there is not enough excitement albeit there is action but it's so emasculated that it's like watching a firework display in black and white; the four professionals, each capable of carrying a film alone - even Woody Strode played the lead in Sergeant Rutledge - don't really blend together as a team. In short there are elements lacking and/or sub- standard in all departments. Worth a look but that's about it.