Why so much hype?

The Worst Film Ever

Best movie of this year hands down!

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Victim of a plot which has resulted in his imprisonment in a Central African jail for two years, a French secret agent arrives in Paris to settle accounts.As others have noted, this is a film that gets better as it goes. Initially, the Central African scenes are not very compelling, but once the "professional" gets going, it heats up quickly. This is an action film, a political thriller (to some degree) and even has a touch of humor at various moments.Although to Americans saying "The Professional" invokes thoughts of "Leon", this was the true progenitor of the name. And with no less a musical backing than from Ennio Morricone, quite possibly the greatest composer of the 20th century.

The plot is pretty typical by now. A spy is betrayed by his country and now seeks revenge. We've all seen this stuff before. However, the way this movie is executed is fantastic. This has pretty much everything a spy flick needs. It's got a great lead actor, hot French women, political intrigue, and a car chase scene. It also has a great soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Fans of Belmondo should be pleased. I've never seen his other movies but he's definitely an entertaining actor. Oddly enough, he does physical comedy really well. Action movie fans should also be pleased. Watching Belmondo beat people up never gets old. I wouldn't be surprised if The Bourne Identity took some ideas from this movie.

I saw this film when I was very young, at the cinema, and still remembered the glorious ending. This film is perfect in its genre. Like a 007 but with heart, sociological undertones and humour.Like when the big bosses of the system look at the city from above their crystal palaces, and the first people who help our hero are the clochards/ beggars. Which are no saints, but whose materialism "what is it there for me?" seems honorable by comparison to the chiefs.Of course Belmondo is the best, and Morricone's score can't be improved. The script by Jacques Audiard has not one word that should't be there, like Poe's famous dictum.The passage of time: This film didn't loose any power with time. On the contrary, I feel it wouldn't be possible to make it now. Maybe it was the simple technology, the vague appeal to honour, and the political incorrectness. Like when Beaumont's chief, the hooker and cops speak of the president of an African state as "le negre".Josselin has a way with words, with people and strategically. Instructor Picard goes to the point when says that "he's got the whites" = always takes the initiative. This film is about mental games when outnumbered and out resourced. As such, it could be given in a course of strategy.Whereas its imitators rely on the action scenes like "Bourne identity", riches and gadgets (007) here life is mean and meaningless. Even a genius like Beaumont can achieve little against a corrupt and inefficient system.Somebody could make a study of the use of the telescopic lenses on the rifle. He who has it wins? Not necessarily so! But the three times it's being used, people fall like flies, like if death didn't inflict any pain.Morals: Beaumont has no friends, and he barely believes in his wife or his mistress, let alone his "friend". His nemesis, Le président N'Jala, is pragmatical as him, but follows some codes: "I didn't kill you because I wanted to exchange you for something". As is Robert Hossein as Le commissaire Rosen. Somebody as hard boiled as himself, no less. The "prisonnier évadé" also has moral. As, paradoxically, Doris Frederiksen, the stunning prostitute (I can't say more, but the ending proves it). I'd liked more character development of Jeanne Baumont and Salvatore Volfoni, his pal. Rosen always drawing sketches, at important meetings or when interviewing his wife, proves he cared for nobody, it was just another way of showing his superiority (in his perspective). Like when he said of Volfoni, whom he just used as a bait, "I pity him".I agree with IMDb's reviewer from Bochum, Germany that: "Today no one makes movies like this any more...". I was thinking about who could impersonate Joss now? Matt Damon in "The Bourne identity", as suggested by Amazon reviewer Hiram Gomez Pardo? Bradd Pitt :)? Definitely time doesn't always bring about progress...PS: Everyone will have its favourite quote with such a film. Mine probably would be the Instructor Picard again when he extols his pupils' virtues: "I'd like my son to be like him" and Le ministre, still insomniac, answer: "Ok, very moving, but it doesn't solve our problem".

He's tough, he's smart, he's funny, he's a French version of James Bond. Just don't get me wrong, this is not some sort of cheep imitation of James Bond. I think at that time this movie was kinda original and the plot-line is not similar with James Bond movies, only Jean-Paul Belmondo's character is similar with James Bond. Nowadays the plot may not appear so original, because a lot of similar movies were made after that (Born trilogy would be a good example), but still it's interesting too watch. The action was good. There were few great fighting scenes and one pretty impressive car chase scene. What else did I liked was the methods of police (who were the main villains) and how coldblooded and sadistic they were. I liked the standoff between Josselin Beaumont and Rosen made in western style, that was a very cleverly made in my opinion.