The Professionals (1966)

Directed by: Richard Brooks
Starring: Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Burt Lancaster, Woody Strode, Jack Palance

Rico (Lee Marvin): So what else is on your mind besides 100-proof women, 90-proof whiskey, and 14-karat gold?
Bill (Burt Lancaster): Amigo… you just wrote my epitaph.

The Professionals is an enjoyable Western with an all-star cast set and a simple story. When Maria Grant (Claudia Cardinale), wife of railroad tycoon J.W. Grant (Ralph Bellamy), is kidnapped and held for ransom, Henry 'Rico' Fardan (Lee Marvin) is called to lead a small team of mercenaries into Mexico to retrieve her. Each member of Rico's team is picked for their expertise in a particular field: Hans Ehrengard (Robert Ryan) is the go-to man when it comes to horses; Jacob Sharp (Woody Strode) can follow tracks no one else can see and is deadly with a bow and arrow; and Bill Dolworth (Burt Lancaster) is a master of explosives. Rico himself was chosen because he used to ride with the man responsible for the kidnapping, Jesus Raza (Jack Palance). Together the band of Professionals head into the desert to find the girl and claim their reward… $10,000 per man.

From the beginning, things seem a little off. Grant admits that his wife was born in Mexico and often rode across the border when she started to miss home, and Rico doesn't think Raza is the kind of man who would resort to kidnapping. But, despite his misgivings, he accepts this almost impossible job… four men against a hundred or more of the most dangerous banditos south of the border. When they get to the hacienda where Maria is being held, their only hope is to stage a distraction that will allow them to sneak her out. However, once it all starts going down, they realize Maria may not be the virtuous victim Grant depicted her to be. Nevertheless, Rico gave Grant his word that he'd bring Maria back to her husband, and he'll be damned before he breaks his word. Of course, none of this sits well with Raza or his banditos, who pursue the band of professionals all the way back to the Texas border.

The Professionals is a 100% guy movie. You've got gun battles, stuff blowing up, a stunningly gorgeous woman, and the man himself, Lee Marvin. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm a huge Lee Marvin mark. The guy is just so damn cool. Seriously, take a look at the famous Lee Marvin glare when he's angry and tell me you wouldn't be pissing your pants if you were the one he was staring down. This movie gets extra points in my book for having tons of classic Lee Marvin lines. At one point, someone calls him a bastard. He thinks about it for a minute, and agrees: "Yes sir. In my case, an accident of birth. But you sir… you're a self made man." Hell yes... The Professionals is Marvin at his best. Throw in the brillian cinematography of Conrad L. Hall (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke) and you've got a great movie for any fan of the genre.



- Micah