THE PROFESSIONALS on dvd

The Professionals (1966)

Written and directed by Richard Brooks

based on the book by Frank O'Rourke

Burt Lancaster as Bill Dolworth

Lee Marvin as Rico Farden

Robert Ryan as Hans Ehrengard

Woody Strode as Jake Sharp

Jack Palance as Jesus Raza

Claudia Cardinale as Maria

Ralph Bellamy as Mr Grant

Mr Grant is a self made man (so he keeps telling everyone at the beginning of the movie) who's wife Maria has been kidnapped by a gang of Mexican bandits led by Jesus Raza. He hires a bunch of men to go and get her back. Each of the men hired are experts in their own field. Dollworth is an explosives man, Farden is a tactitian, Ehrengard a horse wrangler and Sharp is a tracker and has indian skills like the bow.

As the story develops it is discovered that Dollworth and Farden had fought alongside the bandit leader, Raza, and with Pancho Villa in the Mexican revolution but will kill Raza if they have to as a contract is a contract.

Once they cross the border they come across Raza's gang attacking a train so they follow along and recapture the train before going into Raza's camp. Under cover of diversionary fire Farden gets into Raza's house and leaves with Maria. But when they return to the train they find the Mexicans there.

They manage to escape and the Mexican's take up the chase and the odds get less and less until the four men manage to wound and capture Raza who they take along with them.

This was quite a tense and exciting film and the ending wasn't how we imagined it to be. There is good dialogue and banter between the characters and the last lines of the film made us chuckle.

Mr Grant: You bastard.

Farden: Yes, sir. In my case an accident of birth. But you sir are a self made man.

Excellent stuff and we would like to thank Joanne Walpole for recommending this film to us.

Joanne has her own blog and is also the writer Terry James who's book 'Long Shadows' is published at the end of this month.