| The Professionals | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster byHoward Terpning | |
| Directed by | Richard Brooks |
| Written by | Richard Brooks |
| Based on | A Mule for the Marquesa (1964 novel) byFrank O'Rourke |
| Produced by | Richard Brooks |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Conrad L. Hall |
| Edited by | Peter Zinner |
| Music by | Maurice Jarre |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Spanish |
| Box office | $19.5 million[1] |
The Professionals is a 1966 Americanrevisionist Western film written, directed, and produced byRichard Brooks and starringBurt Lancaster,Lee Marvin,Robert Ryan andWoody Strode, withJack Palance,Claudia Cardinale andRalph Bellamy in supporting roles.[2] Based on the 1964 novelA Mule for the Marquesa byFrank O'Rourke, it is about four mercenaries who are hired to rescue a kidnapped bride amidst theMexican Revolution.
The film was a critical and commercial success.[2] At the39th Academy Awards, the film received nominations forBest Director,Best Adapted Screenplay, andBest Cinematography – Color. It was also nominated for twoGolden Globe Awards, includingBest Motion Picture – Drama.
In the final years of theMexican Revolution, American rancher J.W. "Joe" Grant hires four men, who are all experts in their respective fields, to rescue his kidnapped wife, Maria, from Jesús Raza, a former revolutionary leader-turned-bandit. Henry "Rico" Fardan is a weapons specialist, Bill Dolworth is an explosives expert, Hans Ehrengard is thehorse wrangler, and Jake Sharp is atraditional Apache scout, skilled with a bow and arrow. Fardan and Dolworth, having both fought under the command ofPancho Villa, have a high regard for Raza as a soldier, but have no qualms about killing him.
After entering Mexico, the professionals witness soldiers on a government train being massacred by Raza's small army. They follow the captured train to the end of the line. After the bandits leave, they take the train before moving on to the camp, where they observe Raza and his followers — including a female soldier, Chiquita (who was once in a relationship with Dolworth). At nightfall, Fardan infiltrates the camp, but is stopped from killing Raza in his quarters after seeing Maria, Grant's kidnapped wife, about to willingly make love to him. Dolworth announces, "We've been had."
After bringing Maria back to the train, a shootout starts because it has been retaken by the bandits. Pursued by Raza and his men, the professionals are forced to take refuge in nearby canyon lands. That night, Maria reveals that they haven't rescued Grant's "kidnapped wife" but rather, Raza's lover — that Grant had bought her in an arranged marriage, from which she escaped at the earliest opportunity to return to her true love in Mexico.
The following day, Maria rides off through the narrow canyons to rejoin Raza, but Dolworth sets off explosives he had planted in the canyon walls, which collapse and close off the canyon, preventing her escape. As Raza and his remaining men close in, Dolworth volunteers to stay behind to allow the other professionals to escape with Maria. In the ensuing fight, Raza is wounded and captured, and Dolworth is almost killed by a dying Chiquita, whose pistol has run out of bullets.
Grant and his men meet the professionals (with Raza and Maria) at the US border. Grant tells Fardan that their contract has been satisfactorily concluded. He then orders one of his men to kill the wounded Raza. Before he can fire, Dolworth shoots the guns from his hand. The other professionals step in to protect Maria and Raza. They collect the wounded Raza, laying him on the back of a horse-drawn wagon with Maria at the reins, and send both back to Mexico.
Grant angrily turns to Fardan and says, "You bastard!", to which Fardan retorts: "Yes, sir, in my case an accident of birth. But you, sir, you're a self-made man." The professionals then ride off, following the wagon across the border to Mexico.
The film was adapted for the screen by its directorRichard Brooks, who based the screenplay on the novelA Mule for the Marquesa byFrank O'Rourke.
FilmInk arguedClaudia Cardinale "often played asmurfette in her movies i.e. the only woman in an all-male environment – this is an excellent example."[3]
Richard Brooks originally wanted to shoot the film on-location in Mexico, until he learned the necessary location were thousands of miles apart.[2] The movie, which was shot inTechnicolor, was filmed inDeath Valley and theCoachella Valley in California, as well asValley of Fire State Park in Nevada.[4] The rail scenes were filmed onKaiser Steel'sEagle Mountain Railroad. The steam locomotive seen in the movie currently resides on theHeber Valley Railroad.
During filming, the cast and crew stayed inLas Vegas. ActorWoody Strode wrote in his memoirGoal Dust that he andLee Marvin got into a lot of pranks, on one occasion shooting an arrow intoVegas Vic, the famous smiling cowboy neon sign outsideThe Pioneer Club.
The musical score was composed byMaurice Jarre.
By 1976, it was estimated the film had earned $8.8 million in rentals in North America.[5]
It was the ninth most popular movie at the French box office in 1966, afterLa Grande Vadrouille,Doctor Zhivago,Is Paris Burning?,A Fistful of Dollars,Lost Command,A Man and a Woman,For a Few Dollars More andThe Big Restaurant.[6]
Variety wrote of the film:
The Professionals is a well-made actioner, set in 1917 on the Mexican-US border, in which some soldiers of fortune rescue the reportedly kidnapped wife of an American businessman. Exciting explosive sequences, good overall pacing, and acting overcome a sometimes thin script...
Quiet and purposeful, Marvin underplays very well as the leader of the rescue troop.[7]
Film criticRoger Ebert, in a 1967 review, notes, "Last year, Richard Brooks'The Professionals was the best-directed film out of Hollywood...[8]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 90% based on reviews from 20 critics.[9]
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[10] | Best Director | Richard Brooks | Nominated |
| Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography – Color | Conrad L. Hall | Nominated | |
| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Feature Film | Peter Zinner | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America Awards[11] | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Richard Brooks | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards[12] | Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | |
| Most Promising Newcomer – Female | Marie Gomez | Nominated | |
| Golden Screen Awards | Won | ||
| Laurel Awards | Top Action Drama | Won | |
| Top Action Performance | Lee Marvin | Won | |
| Turkish Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Film | 5th Place | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Written American Drama | Richard Brooks | Nominated |