Encore Westerns Channel just showed THE PROFESSIONALS (1966). The film stars Lee Marvin, Burth Lancaster, Jack Palance, and Claudia Cardinale. Lancaster seems alittle out of place in this one. The film is good with both cinematography, action, and story. It took me a while to realize that was Jack Palance as the Mexican Revalutionary. Some of the senarios are a bit to much, but it retains itself as a solid Western. A Western with lots of dynamite.
One of my favourite westerns. It felt too much like a "Dirty Dozen" clone at the beginning, but I started really enjoying it when the characters were on they way back to the USA. Don't know if it is just me, but they seem to become rounder and richer after they rescue the woman. Not that I didn't like the first act of the movie, it is really well done, and Lee Marvin rules.
"The Professionals" was made before "The Dirty Dozen", but it does have that same "varied indivduals chosen for a special mission" feel of many action films.
This is a long time favorite of mine as well, I even bought the soundtrack. It's also the exhibit A to my counter argument in any "the book is always better than the movie" discussion. The movie condenses the book's team from six bland characters to four and adds the connected history of Lancaster, Palance, and Marvin's characters. It also takes a rather formulaic ending and turns it on its head; in the book the team is being persued by the Mexican rebels/bandits and is saved at the last minute near the border by their employer's large group of hired guards, riding to the rescue cavalry-style. The rebels are killed or driven off, the wife is returned, mission acomplished, the end. There is no subplot like the movie, asking whether the wife wanted to be rescued, and the team asking who's really the "nasty old kidnapper" here.
Besides, I love some of Lee Marvin's lines in this one, none of which come from the book:
"Hit it like a French 75, blow it to Hell and God."
"You bastard!"
"Yessir. In my case an accident of birth, but you, you're a self made man."
"Your hair was darker then."
"My heart was lighter then."
yaddo42 said: "The Professionals" was made before "The Dirty Dozen"
Really? Didn't know that one. "The dirty dozen" is far more popular, and when I saw Lee Marvin on this other film that (at least at the beginning) looked so similar, I assumed he was reprising the recruiter role.
Caught this again last night on TCM. Alex Trebek was the guest programmer for the night and this was one of his faves.
Great movie with a great cast. I really like the turnabout ending.