7.6/10
12,693
46 user 22 critic

Le professionnel (1981)

Victim of a plot which has resulted in his imprisonment in a Central African jail for two years, a French secret agent arrives in Paris to settle accounts.

Director:

Georges Lautner

Writers:

Patrick Alexander (novel), Georges Lautner (adaptation) | 2 more credits »
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2 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Paul Belmondo ... Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss'
Jean Desailly ... Le ministre
Cyrielle Clair ... Alice Ancelin (as Cyrielle Claire)
Marie-Christine Descouard Marie-Christine Descouard ... Doris Frederiksen
Elisabeth Margoni ... Jeanne Baumont
Jean-Louis Richard Jean-Louis Richard ... Le colonel Martin
Michel Beaune ... Le capitaine Valeras
Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu ... L'inspecteur Farges (as Bernard Donnadieu)
Pierre Saintons Pierre Saintons ... Le président N'Jala
Gérard Darrieu Gérard Darrieu ... L'instructeur Picard
Sidiki Bakaba Sidiki Bakaba ... Le prisonnier évadé
Baaron Baaron
Robert Hossein ... Le commissaire Rosen
Dany Kogan Dany Kogan ... Sergent Gruber
Marc Lamole Marc Lamole ... Le serveur d'hôtel
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Storyline

French secret agent Joss Baumont is sent to one of the African countries to kill their president Njala. However, at the last moment the political situation changes and the French secret service turns him in to the African authorities, and he is sentenced to a long-term imprisonment. After the daring escape he returns to France and deliberately informs his former chiefs of his presence promising them to kill Njala who has just arrived to the country with the official visit. Written by Yuri German <blsidt1@imf.org>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis


Certificate:

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Parents Guide:

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Another agent with the initials JB: Joss Beaumont, James Bond, Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer... See more »

Goofs

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. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Gone Shootin' (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

Chi Mai
Composed by Ennio Morricone
Directed by Ennio Morricone
Published by Général Music France
See more »

User Reviews

 
Starts out mediocre and winds up as a great classic.
24 July 2004 | by Xander77See all my reviews

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...


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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 October 1981 (France) See more »

Also Known As:

Le professionnel See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

FRF20,000,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
See full technical specs »

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