O Profissional

For me this is the best work of Bel Mondo. The story its just perfect, Joss (main character) uses the orders that the service gave to him to kill president N'jala even after he became friend to to his government. They betrayed him and left him to die in prison. The character of commissaire Rosen it's a perfect one. I have seen this movie maybe 20 times and every time I find something new. The speech in the end between the minister and capitaine Valeras it's my preferite moment: Is this call under surveillance? Of course Mr. Minister. The duel between Rosen and Joss in the best picture of Paris I have ever seen is also great. But the truth is every moment and every word is perfect. You don't have to miss this movie.

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.

Jean-Paul Belmondo is on trial for trying to kill Pierre Saintons, the military dictator of an African country. He won't say who hired him, he's heavily drugged, and eventually he is sent to prison. Two years later, he escapes and returns to Paris to take another crack at the job; his former colleagues in the French Secret Service, who sold him out when the political winds changed, try to stop him.

It's one of those roles in which Belmondo does things, which is what made him so attractive as a New Wave anti-hero. He's still playing the anti-hero, of course, but there are no heroes, just middle-aged bureaucrats, thugs , and beautiful women. He lets you see the years and weariness creep up on him, particularly in the scenes with Michel Beaune. Mostly, though, he is what the title of the movie suggests, a thorough professional, who takes well-calculated risks that confound the people who try to stop him; they are worried about their jobs, their futures, their remaining ideals of right and wrong, and utility. He's just doing a job, and if he survives, well and good, and if not..... well, that was a possibility all along.

This is one of the best french action movie made in the 80's. This has nothing to do with a today's block buster from Hollywood, but the famous cues from Michel Audiard and the "Chi Mai" music from Ennio Morricone participate in creating an atmosphere that will keep you under suspense till the deadly end. There are some scenes that appear to be very old now (the one with the computer is quite comic today) and some others that you will remember for the text. To conclude : a tremendous script, Audiard's cues, Morricones's music, some handmade fights and a spectacular cars'pursuit in the most famous streets of Paris. And you still doesn't want to see this film ?

This has to be, without a doubt, one of Jean-Paul Belmondo's finest hours on screen.

I can only guess that "Le Professionnel" is the kind of movie that helped inspire future action-directors like Luc Besson, the way it mixes raw violence with quirky charm and last but not least: some memorable, often cartoonish characters: Robert Hossein is creepy as hell as police captain Rosen, and Belmondo ignites the screen with charm and charisma, so much that the scene with the helicopter will just tear your heart out.

This French little gem has thrills, action and even a few laughs, it includes such showstoppers as a car-chase in front of the Eiffel Tower (!) and even a wild west style duel in broad daylight on the streets of Paris. To top it all of the soundtrack includes one of Ennio Morricone's most famous movie themes!

In short: highly recommended for fans of European action movies.