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Movies / On DVD / The Professionals
The Professionals

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The Professionals (1966)

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Reviews Counted:15

Fresh:14

Rotten:1

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Westerns

Synopsis: A wealthy rancher, Frank Carter (Ralph Bellamy), hires four tough gunslingers to rescue his wife (Claudia Cardinale), who is being held captive by Captain Rasa (Jack Palance), one of Pancho Villa's... A wealthy rancher, Frank Carter (Ralph Bellamy), hires four tough gunslingers to rescue his wife (Claudia Cardinale), who is being held captive by Captain Rasa (Jack Palance), one of Pancho Villa's most desperate revolutionaries, in this dynamic and hard-hitting Western set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution of 1917. The wild West commando team consists of a dynamite expert (Burt Lancaster), an ex-revolutionary and munitions expert (Lee Marvin), a horse specialist (Robert Ryan), and a tracker (Woody Strode). On their mission to return Carter's highly prized wife, they track the Mexican revolutionaries through rough and rugged desert terrain, determined to outsmart, outshoot, and outride anyone they come across--until they meet the the charismatic Rasa and discover that Carter's seductive wife is in love with the Mexican outlaw and has no intention of returning with the band of "professionals." Based on the novel A MULE FOR THE MARQUESA by Frank O'Rourke, this beautifully rendered Western features a star-studded cast delivering finely crafted and charismatic performances. Burt Lancaster is at his acrobatic and mercurial best as the rowdy gunslinger. [More]

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Claudia Cardinale, Jack Palance

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Claudia Cardinale, Jack Palance, Ralph Bellamy, Woody Strode, Joe De Santis, Rafael Bertrand, Robert Ryan

Director: Richard Brooks

Director: Richard Brooks
Story: Frank O'Rourke
Screenwriter: Richard Brooks
Producer: Richard Brooks
Composer: Maurice Jarre

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 17, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin headline the top-notch, rip-roaring Western action/adventure, THE PROFESSIONALS. Four soldiers of fortune are hired by a wealthy Texan oil baron (Ralph Bellamy) to rescue his kidnapped wife (Claudia Cardinale), who's been spirited acress the Mexican Border by a band ofmercenaries led by Jesus Raza (Jack Palance). The four rugged professionals, each regarded as a specialist in his selected field - an expert marksman and tracker (Woody Strode), the explosives master(Lancaster), horse handler (Robert Ryan) and one skilled in tactics and weaponry (Marvin) - make their way across the treacherous landscape to retrieve the beautiful kidnappee, but discover all is not what it seems in the explosive climax. Excellent performances from an all-star cast, Maurice Jarre's haunting musical score and surprising plot twists make THE PROFESSIONALS a true classic. THE PROFESSIONALS garnered three Academy Award(r) nominations; two for Richard Brooks (Best Direction and BestAdapted Screenplay) and another for the esteemed Conrad Hall (Best Cinematography). The filmmakers received the same nominations the following year for the true crime classic, In Cold Blood.
  • Source: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Professionals

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    1 - 16 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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    It's 'guys on a mission' time in this wonderful but improbable tale.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    03/10/03
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Austin Chronicle

    It's a little dated and has a few shot-on-bad-studio-set moments, but on the whole it's an impressive film, even if you don't normally care for Westerns.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    06/22/03
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    Underrated all-star western.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    04/08/08
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's one of Brooks's more eloquent and witty films.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    04/14/08
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Exciting explosive sequences, good overall pacing and acting overcome a sometimes thin script.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    04/08/08
    Variety Staff
    Variety Staff
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A truly adventuresome, action-filled film that is played more for thrills than for conveying a story.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    04/08/08
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    It was comprehensively eclipsed by Peckinpah's ostensibly similar The Wild Bunch.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out

    It's far too entertaining to be lumped in with portentous epics like Dances With Wolves and How The West Was Won.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    05/24/03
    Channel 4 Film
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    06/05/02
    Boxoffice Magazine

    Top notch western adventure laden with macho stars Lancaster, Marvin and Palance.

    comment Comment
    06/15/06
    Steve Crum
    Steve Crum
    Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

    A topnotch Western.

    comment Comment
    11/05/03
    John Urbancich
    John Urbancich
    Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

    A rock-solid piece of Western Adventure entertainment. Marvin, Lancaster & Palance!

    comment Comment
    04/06/05
    Scott Weinberg
    Scott Weinberg
    eFilmCritic.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    04/21/05
    Thomas Delapa
    Thomas Delapa
    Boulder Weekly

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    05/19/05
    Andy Klein
    Andy Klein
    Los Angeles CityBeat

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/19/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    01/07/05
    Jon Niccum
    Jon Niccum
    Lawrence Journal-World
     
     
    1 - 16 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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    Latest News for The Professionals

    November 10, 2006: One-Armed Push-ups All Around in Honor of Jack Palance
    Jack Palance, who made a career out of bullying good guys and portraying stern, craggy-faced menaces, died Friday. Surrounded by family at his California ranch, he passed away... More...

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