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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]

Reviews for The Professionals

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1 - 16 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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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
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

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

No review available.

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

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

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

No review available.

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

A topnotch Western.

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

No review available.

comment Comment
01/07/05
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World

Underrated all-star western.

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

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

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

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

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

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

No review available.

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

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
 
 
1 - 16 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
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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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