Just perfect...

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

THE PROFESSIONALS is adventurous western film, that offers an exciting and very tense heroic action in a dangerous and inaccessible desert landscape. An unusual introduction, brutal actions without excessive melodrama and a constant cynicism are the biggest advantages of this film. The script was adapted from the novel "A Mule for the Marquesa" by Frank O'Rourke.During the Mexican Revolution, a powerful and wealthy rancher hires four men, who are all experts in their respective fields, to rescue his kidnapped wife Maria from the clutches of the desperado Raza. Raza is a former revolutionary leader. The professionals ravels 100 miles into Mexico to retrieve the woman. After crossing the Mexican border, the team tracks the bandits to their hideout. They witness soldiers on a government train being massacred by Raza's small army. The professionals follow the captured train to the end of the line and retake it from the bandits. Their rescue operation is successful, but it seems that a rich rancher's not telling the truth...Charismatic characters are skillfully grooved between their professionalism, past, justice and truth. The money as a powerful motive is contrary to their ideals. However, money is part of their job, even if they do not reach it.The atmosphere is very good, the characterization is not bad either.Lee Marvin as Henry 'Rico' Fardan is a former military officer and expert on modern weapons. He is a former participant in the Mexican Revolution, which left big scars in his heart. Fardan is a mysterious character with a high degree of respect for his work, revolution and past. Burt Lancaster as Bill Dolworth is an expert in explosives. Dolworth is an impulsive character who will accept any bid and draw the best from it. It seems that his weakness are beautiful, rebellious and strong women such as Maria (Claudia Cardinale) and Chiquita (Marie Gomez) Robert Ryan as Hans Ehrengard is a horse trainer who adopts a brutal lesson from his colleagues. Woody Strode as Jake Sharp is a master of crafts as a traditional Apache scout.Jack Palance as Jesus Raza is a typical character of a revolutionary, who has, after the disappointment in his ideal, became a bandit. Ralph Bellamy as Joe Grant is sort of the epitome of what comes after every bloody revolution.

I really enjoyed this film because of all things typical of classic films. I thought I was going to see a B-film with bad acting and sleep-inducing plot.Was I surprised.I should know better because of the principal cast. The sets, writing, action, direction and just the right actors make a film worth watching again and again.The real delight (after seeing Claudia in any frame) was Burt Lancaster's portrayal of the devilish rogue Dolworth as he contrasted with Lee Marvin's reserved and disciplined character Fardan. Woody Strode wasn't buried in the background typical of roles for African American's during that time but should have had more dialogue. Robert Ryan's Ehrengard role was surprisingly minimal yet Jack Palance's Raza was extremely well played.The last good western I've seen was the remake of "True Grit" which didn't disappoint. This film does as good a job (if not better) of providing entertainment without going dreadfully overboard with any single element.

I went into this movie knowing only the cast and the basic plot; I hadn't read any reviews or checked its score on IMDb. I was ready for a good film. I mean, Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Woody Strode, Jack Palance and other great actors, all in one film?! How could it not be phenomenal!Well, it wasn't. The dialogue tried too hard for witty comedy that it couldn't achieve. Lee Marvin was at his low in this film, rarely breaking monotone, and looking very disinterested the whole time. Burt Lancaster was annoying as hell. The film went to pains to play him off as a witty rogue. He even says at one point: "I'm one of the most corruptible bums I know." And yet, he doesn't do anything along those lines. Strode and Ryan barely had any lines, suppressing their talent. Palance was really the only character who was believable/enjoyable. The best things about this movie are Palance and Cardinale. Mostly Cardinale. A good movie if you're bored and want to kill time; not if you're looking for a good film.

Veteran Actor Ralph Bellamy who is best know for portraying FDR is cast here in a different role as a rich Texan whose wife (lovely Claudia Cardinale) has been kidnapped and taken over the border to Mexico. Jack Palance heads up the bad kidnappers.Joe Grant (Bellamy) hires Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan and Woody Strode to get her back. The odds seemed stacked against them and the bad crew has a lot of guns and men while they are just 4.In a way this might be considerer a relative to several other westerns made in the 1960's. The script though is original material which won an Oscar for best script. Marvin is near the top of his game here and Lancaster is solid.Cardinale is good in her role and the script has a bit of the twist at the end which might surprise you. A very good western.