The Professionals (1966)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Richard Brooks (written by)
Frank O'Rourke (novel)

Release Date:

2 November 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Tagline:

It Captures The Flavor Of A Brawling Lusty Mexico!

Plot:

An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Contract | Border | Mexican Revolution | Mexico

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Bill Dolworth
Lee Marvin	...	Henry 'Rico' Fardan
Robert Ryan	...	Hans Ehrengard
Woody Strode	...	Jake Sharp
Jack Palance	...	Jesus Raza
Claudia Cardinale	...	Mrs. Maria Grant
Ralph Bellamy	...	Joe Grant
Joe De Santis	...	Ortega
Rafael Bertrand	...	Fierro
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos	...	Eduardo Padilla - Goatkeeper (as Jorge Martinez de Hoyos)
Marie Gomez	...	Chiquita
José Chávez	...	Revolutionary (as Jose Chavez)
Carlos Romero	...	Revolutionary
Vaughn Taylor	...	Banker Who Delivers $100,000

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and nudity.

Runtime:

117 min | UK:123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #21227) (original rating) | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:16 | USA:GP (1970) | USA:PG-13 (re-rating: 1999)

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The cast and crew stayed in Las Vegas while working on this project. Actor Woody Strode wrote in his memoirs that he and Lee Marvin pulled several pranks, including shooting an arrow at the famous smiling cowboy neon sign damaging it briefly.

Quotes:

Jesus Raza: You know, of course, one of us must die.
Bill Dolworth: Maybe both of us.
Jesus Raza: To die for money... is foolish.
Bill Dolworth: To die for a woman is *more* foolish. Any woman. Even her.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Extreme Prejudice (1987)

Some Nice Suprrises But Just So-So

After not seeing this film for almost 30 years, I was surprised how good the cinematography was, since I had mainly just remembered this as another Western with a good cast of famous tough guys. The rugged Mexican countryside took my attention as much as the story.

Another big surprise was Robert Ryan. Noted for playing almost nothing but sadistic villains, Ryan turned an about-face here and plays the most humane person in the group, in contrast to other male leads' Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin and Woody Strode. All of these actors are fun to watch and Claudia Cardinale, although not the greatest of actresses, also fun to ogle.

This is one of those transitional films of the mid 1960s, one that still was under a morals code but was pushing it to the limit. Another year or two and it would be gone altogether. So, language started to get rougher including the Lord's name in vain which slips in here a couple of times; a plug for evolution (Big Bang theory) is given by Lancaster and there is a scene in which you see the side view of a woman's breast - all things that would prevalent in films in just a few more years.

All in all, just a so-so story elevated by the presence of some very well-known tough-guy actors.