The Professional (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)

Stars:

Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly, Cyrielle Clair

2 wins & 1 nomination.

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	...	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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

secret agent | attempted assassination | breasts | bar fight | africa | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 October 1981 (France)

Also Known As:

The Professional

Filming Locations:

Château de Maintenon, Maintenon, Eure-et-Loir, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cerito Films, Les Films Ariane

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

4th highest grossing movie of its year in France. Broke the 300,000 admissions mark in Paris; a record at the time.

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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.

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Connections

References Le Samouraï (1967)

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Soundtracks

Bach
Composed by Ennio Morricone
Directed by Ennio Morricone
Published by Général Music France

User Reviews

True Classic

What should have been just another spy/revenge B-movie ends up being one of the most memorable French films in my book. Sure, similar modern thrillers from Hollywood (e.g., Bourne franchise) may be more sophisticated plots, more intense chase scenes, camera angles, elaborated combat but ... who cares? A few months later, I can barely remember what those movies were about, let alone specific scenes. And yet, I just cannot get enough of Belmondo as The Professional. This movie hits me emotionally again and again, no matter how many times I watch it. It's charming, often funny, and ultimately, profoundly sad. If you've never heard of Belmondo, who by the way, is one of French cinema's national treasures, this is a great one to start with. A true classic!