The Professional
El profesional
1981 · France · 108 min
- Director
- Georges Lautner
- Screenplay
- Michel Audiard, Jacques Audiard, Georges Lautner, Patrick Alexander
- Producer
- Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alexandre Mnouchkine, Georges Dancigers
- Music
- Ennio Morricone
- Cinematography
- Henri Decaë
- Editing
- Michelle David
- Production company
- StudioCanal
Cast
What it is about
French secret service agent Josselin Beaumont is sent to Malagawi, a fictional African country, with orders to kill its dictator, Colonel Njala. When the political situation shifts, the mission is cancelled, and his own superiors hand him over to the African authorities, who sentence him to forced labour after a rushed trial. After escaping, Beaumont returns to France determined to settle scores with those who betrayed him, and the secret services must respond to his challenge.
How it was made
The project took shape when Yves Boisset declined to direct Barracuda, a film Jean-Paul Belmondo had planned to star in. Producer Alexandre Mnouchkine then proposed adapting Patrick Alexander's novel Death of a Thin-Skinned Animal, originally set in England, which was moved to France. Michel Audiard's first screenplay failed to convince its backers, and Francis Veber helped rewrite it, although the screenplay credit went to Jacques Audiard. Georges Lautner directed his third film with Belmondo. Shot between May and July 1981 on a budget of 20 million francs, it used locations in the Camargue, Paris and several other sites. Ennio Morricone's score accompanies the closing scenes.
Reception and legacy
It was a commercial success in France, ranking as the fourth most-watched film there in 1981 with 5,243,559 tickets sold, behind only three titles, including Raiders of the Lost Ark. It received a limited release in the Soviet Union and Poland, where it became hugely popular. Its theme, Chi Mai, became closely associated with both the film and Belmondo himself.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
An earlier project
Belmondo initially wanted to star in Barracuda, directed by Yves Boisset, but differences over the project's approach ended that plan.
A change of title
The final title was pushed by Belmondo and his publicist René Chateau, despite initial reservations from Mnouchkine, Lautner and Audiard.
Success in the East
Despite a limited release, the film became very popular in the Soviet Union and Poland, where it became a household name.
More films by Georges Lautner
Death of a Corrupt Man
Le Guignolo
Cop or Hood
Happy Easter
Monsieur Gangster
The Great Spy ChaseOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.