The Professional (1981 film)
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| The Professional | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | Georges Lautner |
| Produced by | Alain Belmondo |
| Written by | Michel Audiard Georges Lautner Jacques Audiard Patrick Alexander (novel) |
| Starring | Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean Desailly Robert Hossein |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Edited by | Michelle David |
| Distributed by | Gaumont |
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Release dates
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21 October 1981 |
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Running time
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109 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | FRF 20,000,000[1] (€ 3,000,000)[2] |
| Box office | 5,243,559 admissions (France)[3] (€ 11,681,831)[2] |
The Professional (original title: Le Professionnel; French pronunciation: [lə pʁɔfɛsjɔˈnɛl]) is a 1981 French action film directed by French director Georges Lautner, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly and Robert Hossein, based on the award-winning 1976 novel Death of a Thin-Skinned Animal by Patrick Alexander.
The film was a wide commercial success upon its theatrical release, with 5,243,559 tickets sold, making it the fourth most watched feature film in France in 1981 behind La Chèvre, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Fox and the Hound.[4]
The music was composed by Ennio Morricone and the theme music "Chi Mai" is known worldwide.
Contents
Plot
French secret agent Josselin Beaumont is sent to kill Colonel Njala, the dictator of Malagawi, a fictional African country. However, before he manages to accomplish his mission, the political situation changes drastically and the French secret service resorts to handing over Beaumont to the Malagawian authorities. After a long, unfair trial, during which Beaumont is injected with drugs, he is sentenced to long-term penal servitude at a "re-education camp".
Following a daring escape with one of the other inmates, he returns to France and informs the French secret service of his presence, promising that he will kill Njala, who is in France for an official visit, thus getting his revenge on the people who betrayed him. The secret service responds by setting other agents on Beaumont's trail. However, he manages to remain one step ahead, humiliating and killing some of his major betrayers, including Rosen, the sadistic chief of the secret police. After Rosen falls in a gunfight, Beaumont switches their identity cards, spreading confusion within the secret service and temporarily reducing Njala's guard. Beaumont eventually tricks a secret service agent into shooting the dictator. While government officials confer with higher authorities, he slowly walks towards Njala's helicopter, but is shot dead by government agents, who have received the order to do so.
Cast
- Jean-Paul Belmondo as Josselin “Joss” Beaumont
- Robert Hossein as le commissaire Rosen
- Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu as l'inspecteur Farges
- Jean Desailly as le ministre
- Cyrielle Clair as Alice Ancelin
- Marie-Christine Descouard as Doris Frederiksen
- Elisabeth Margoni as Jeanne Beaumont
- Jean-Louis Richard as le colonel Martin
- Michel Beaune as le capitaine Valeras
- Pierre Saintons as le président N'Jala
- Gérard Darrieu as l'instructeur Picard
- Sidiki Bakaba as le prisonnier évadé
- Dany Kogan as sergent Gruber
- Marc Lamole as le serveur d'hôtel
See also
External links
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). The Professional at IMDb
- Template:AMG movie
- The Professional at Rotten Tomatoes
References
- French-language films
- 1980s action thriller films
- 1980s crime drama films
- 1980s crime thriller films
- 1981 films
- Film scores by Ennio Morricone
- Films about revenge
- Films based on French novels
- Films directed by Georges Lautner
- Films set in a fictional African country
- Films set in Africa
- Films set in France
- Films set in Paris
- French crime films
- French spy films
- French thriller films
- French films
- Screenplays by Michel Audiard
- Gaumont Film Company films
