The Professionals (Special Edition)

Buy This Item The Professionals (Special Edition) by Sony Pictures  Available from Amazon  $9.99  on 11-26-2008     Before <i>The Wild Bunch</i>, there was <i>The Professionals</i>, Richard Brooks's marvelous ode to friendship, loyalty, and disillusionment. It may not have the stylistic bravado or fatalistic doom of the legendary Sam Peckinpah film, but Brooks's storytelling is simple and steady and just as insightful. The difference is Brooks is a lot more optimistic. Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster are buddies who have drifted into oblivion after fighting together in the Mexican Revolution. Marvin, the principled loyalist and munitions expert, lost his wife and his heart. Lancaster, the dynamite expert and unprincipled adventurer, keeps losing his pants. They team up with wrangler Robert Ryan and archer Woody Strode to rescue the beguiling Claudia Cardinale, who has been kidnapped by their old revolutionary buddie Jack Palance. So it's back into bloody Mexico they go on a "mission of mercy" for railroad tycoon Ralph Bellamy, who's paying handsomely for the return of his wife. <br/><br/> But nothing is what it seems in this exciting, existential adventure, which was beautifully shot by Conrad Hall. Sarcastic quips, philosophical musings, and heart-rending reversals underlie Brooks's humanistic sentiments. These are tired, world-weary men who somehow find the strength and the will to pull together for the sake of love and commitment. Through it all, Brooks seems to be lamenting a decline in professionalism much deeper than his story. He's decrying Hollywood and the society at large, anticipating Peckinpah's later strategy. <i>--Bill Desowitz</i> Reader Reviews I've always loved Westerns, but The Professionals far exceeded my expectations. David Brooks both wrote the script and directed this 1966 adventure, based on a book by the great Western writer, Frank O'Rourke. The story takes place shortly after the Mexican Revolution, a transitional period in U.S. history, when men who fought beside Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, served in the Philippine campaign, and joined ranks with Pancho Villa, suddenly find their skills and heroics out of style, leaving them with nothing else to do but try to survive on the fringes of a diminishing frontier. No sooner does the title of the movie fade, as soon as the opening credits roll, Brooks gives us a quick sketch of the four main characters. Rico Farden (Lee Marvin), ex military officer now reduced to demonstrating automatic weapons; Ehrengard (Robert Ryan), ex cavalry man, now working as a cattle boss, wrangler and pack master; Jake (Woody Strobe), a sharp shooter, scout and tracker - specialist with the long bow - now a bounty hunter; and, Bill (Burt Lancaster), Rico's best friend, once a genius with dynamite, now a shady prospector and wildcatter, and always, a lover of women ("Any size, any age, any color. Any woman.") These four men are brought together one last time by a corporate landowner, H.G. Grant (Ralph Bellamy), to undertake a dangerous mission only men with their unique experience could hope to achieve. They're offered a large reward to successfully rescue Grant's beautiful Latin wife (Claudia Cardinale) kidnapped for ransom by the notorious Villa bandit, Jesus Raza (Jack Palance), who is hiding somewhere in the barren desert of Mexico. Each character's special skills are called into play. Each faces a test that reveals a surprising turn. Underneath this fast moving, entertaining, witty action film are deeper questions. Are there winners in the battles for freedom? Does anything really change? Who are the good guys? Who are the bad? The cast makes a perfect ensemble. I think this is Burt Lancaster's best film. Not only does he steal the show as rogue, cynic, and trickster, but his part gives him a chance to show off the agility he developed as a circus performer, before he became an actor. If ever you've considered writing an action adventure film that's tight and lean with sharp edged minimalist dialogue, or to direct a fast moving story with surprising plot and character twists, incredible cinematography, and an understated blend of music and natural sound, Richard Brook's The Professionals is a film that will teach much about what makes this art form great. And if all you want is to see a really entertaining western, The Professionals is a great ride.

The Professionals (Special Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $9.99 Updated on 11-26-2008.

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