The Professional (1981) Le professionnel (original title)

Director:

Georges Lautner

Writers:

Jacques Audiard
Michel Audiard
(more)

Release Date:

21 October 1981 (France)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

French secret agent Joss Baumont is sent to one of the African countries to kill their president Njala...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | France | French Secret Service | Lesbian | Sniper

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss'
Jean Desailly	...	Le ministre
Cyrielle Clair	...	Alice Ancelin (as Cyrielle Claire)
Marie-Christine Descouard	...	Doris Frederiksen
Elisabeth Margoni	...	Jeanne Baumont
Jean-Louis Richard	...	Le colonel Martin
Michel Beaune	...	Le capitaine Valeras
Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu	...	L'inspecteur Farges (as Bernard Donnadieu)
Pierre Saintons	...	Le président N'Jala
Gérard Darrieu	...	L'instructeur Picard
Sidiki Bakaba	...	Le prisonnier évadé
Baaron
Robert Hossein	...	Le commissaire Rosen
Dany Kogan	...	Sergent Gruber
Marc Lamole	...	Le serveur d'hôtel
Jacques Canselier	...	Le petit homme aux fleurs
Bernard Marcellin	...	Agent service secret #1
Jean-Claude Bouillaud	...	Agent service secret #2
Claude-Bernard Perot	...	Agent service secret #3
Yves Pignot	...	Agent service secret #4
Cheik Doukouré	...	Le docteur infirmerie
Pascal N'Zonzi	...	Arthur secrétaire Njala
Serge Nubret	...	L'infirmier au procès
Guillaume Corea	...	Le procureur
André Weber	...	Le clochard 'associé'
Michel Berreur	...	Un clochard
Julien Bukowski	...	Un clochard
Pierre Forget	...	Un clochard
René Lafleur	...	Un clochard
Maurice Auzel	...	Le poulet #1
Daniel Breton	...	Le poulet #2
Bele Mukeba	...	Le gardien du bagne #1
Samuel Nolison	...	Le gardien du bagne #2
Beate Kopp	...	La postière
Sidney Kotto	...	Le speaker télé
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pierre Vernier	...	Salvatore Volfoni (uncredited)

Directed by
Georges Lautner

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Patrick Alexander		novel
Jacques Audiard
Michel Audiard
Georges Lautner

Produced by
Alain Belmondo	....	producer
Georges Dancigers	....	delegate producer
Alexandre Mnouchkine	....	delegate producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Henri Decaë

Film Editing by
Michelle David

Production Design by
Eric Moulard

Set Decoration by
Philippe Turlure

Costume Design by
Paulette Breil

Makeup Department
Charly Koubesserian	....	key makeup artist
Jacques Leymond	....	hair stylist
Alice Schwartz	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Alain Belmondo	....	unit production manager
Dominique Rigaux	....	production manager

Sound Department
Alain Sempé	....	sound

Stunts
Jean-Paul Belmondo	....	stunt driver
Claude Carliez	....	fight coordinator
Rémy Julienne	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Yves Rodallec	....	camera operator
Vincent Rossell	....	still photographer

Other crew
Annie Maurel	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Cerito Films
• Les Films Ariane

Distributors

• Divisa Home Video (2010) (Spain) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2010) (Spain) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2010) (UK) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (2002) (France) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (2006) (France) (DVD)
• StudioCanal (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Le professionnel" - France (original title)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Australia:M | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Camargue, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Cerito Films

Trivia:

As usual at the time, Jean-Paul Belmondo is performing his own stunts including those of the car chase on The Trocadero Plaza.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the clochards reach the car with the policemen inside, one of the chlochards destroys a bottle on the roof of the car, so the roof gets wet and there are lots of glass splinters on it. In various shots after, the roof is completely clean again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Les cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma (1995)

Soundtrack:

Bach

Starts out mediocre and winds up as a great classic.

The tale of an assassin left behind, and his quest to get revenge has been done in many movies. For about 50 minutes, this version isn't in any way exceptional, and has nothing special going for it - in fact, at times, it is rather silly.

Then we get to a high noon duel in the streets of Paris - and you have to pause, and ask yourself - did I accidentally change channels and ran into a Sergeo Leone film? Because this scene is definitely good enough for "Once Upon a Time in the West"... accompanied as it is with Ennio Morricones score.

From this moment the film becomes faster, more intense and more interesting, until it culminates in the absolutely classic scene of Belmondo walking away towards the helicopter, with "Chi Mai" (bet you heard the tune before, and had no idea where it's from) accompanying him...