Coventry I usually don't reveal my final judgment of the movie straight away in the review's subject line, but in the case of "Le Professionnel" I just felt like I had to tell it like it is… This is, simply put and without exaggerating, the perfect popcorn-entertainment action/thriller, and it catapulted itself straight towards a high position in my list of personal favorite movies of all times! "Le Professionnel" has a terrific screenplay with wonderfully deranged characters and plentiful of ultimately exciting action sequences. It also features the best J-P Belmondo performance of his career, by far, and stellar support from the entire cast surrounding him. And then of course there's the truly phenomenal musical score of Ennio Morricone… The astounding theme song "Chi Mai" perhaps wasn't originally composed for this particular film (it appeared first in the obscure art-film "Maddalena" in 1971) but it's forever unified with "Le Professionnel", and thanks to its immense commercial success the song also became one of the biggest hits in Morricone's inexhaustible repertoire! The basic plot of "Le Professionnel" is simple but very effective and compelling. Josselin "Joss" Beaumont is a highly trained French special agent who gets send to an unspecific African country on a secret mission to assassinate the corrupt self-elected President N'Jala. By the time his plane lands, however, the president has suddenly become a friend of the French nation and Beaumont's unscrupulous government sacrifices him. Beaumont is imprisoned under inhuman circumstances, but after two long years he makes a daring escape and returns to France around the same time President N'Jala makes an official state visit. Once home, he joyously informs his former superiors that he will fulfill his assignment and thus, knowing Beaumont's skills and imaginative operating methods, the secret service mobilizes their toughest agents to protect the president and to hunt down Beaumont. "Le Professionnel" is chock- full of imaginative sequences that are simultaneously action-packed, comical and intensely built up towards! For example, in order to reach apartment of his wife that is heavily guarded by several policemen, Beaumont creates a diversion by hooking up with a group of homeless men and run amok in front of the apartment. Another example is how he always toys around with the media and stages cat- and-mouse games with the best agents on the force. The ultimate highlight is of course the virulent car chase through the narrow Parisian streets and even underneath the Eifel Tower! This scene becomes even more perplexing when you realize that Belmondo always performs his own stunts. The film also has the most diverse and eccentric supportive characters walking around. How about the vicious & cruel lesbian agent who nearly violates Joss' wife whilst interrogating her? Or the wicked inspector Farges who obsessively tracks down Joss because he repeatedly humiliated him. The most fascinating character, next to Joss Beaumont of course, is undoubtedly the Commissioner Rosen, as depicted here by the severely underrated Robert Hossein. Rosen is a merciless, stoic and persistent copper. He's the complete opposite of Beaumont, which makes their confrontations uncomfortable and suspenseful for the viewer to look at. Especially their final confrontation is sheer genius and qualifies as the absolute best western scene in a non- western movie! A must-see

Ilya Eckstein What should have been just another spy/revenge B-movie ends up being one of the most memorable French films in my book. Sure, similar modern thrillers from Hollywood (e.g., Bourne franchise) may be more sophisticated plots, more intense chase scenes, camera angles, elaborated combat but ... who cares? A few months later, I can barely remember what those movies were about, let alone specific scenes. And yet, I just cannot get enough of Belmondo as The Professional. This movie hits me emotionally again and again, no matter how many times I watch it. It's charming, often funny, and ultimately, profoundly sad. If you've never heard of Belmondo, who by the way, is one of French cinema's national treasures, this is a great one to start with. A true classic!

Guy Lanoue A tailor-made vehicle for Belmondo, out-Burting Burt Reynolds in this action flick with non-stop action. The whole thing is laughable thirty years later because we are used to Bourne Identities coming out of our fannies, but this is how they made films before CGI and mega budgets: a charming star, an excellent ensemble cast, well-motivated action, and a relatively tight script. Okay, it's cheesy by modern standards, but one must remember French politics re. Africa (remember Bokassa? The French do) and mercenaries. It makes more sense to the French, and certainly didn't export well. But you can nonetheless see why Belmondo could get away with a certain wink at the camera Burt smarminess, because he always played it with a touch of comedy, and he was way more charming than Burt ever was. ALthough you can read this film as played for laughs, at the time it's plot was believable, and the cold-hearted treatment of citizens by government forces is certainly more than believable to Europeans. Watch it and enjoy. How many low budget action films stand up 30 years later? This one does, and the subtitling is pretty good.

dusan-22 This is the best film on the specific topic of mercenary vigilante model of a film hero highly exploited by Hollywood even today. Everything else is a bad copy of it. I read comment of one user who compares the structural basis of the film with Count Monte Kristo idea which is interesting, but unlike the Count Le Professionnel is the milestone for the bad guys (assassins) that are becoming good during the movie getting all our sympathies, unlike any movie before that. We, the observers, are suffering with their pain and sharing it even though they had been murders in many color pictures just few film minutes ago. Excellent casting and one of the best Belmondo's roles. Morricone music makes one perfect whole, making this film being your favorite, if you are hesitating about that.