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The Professionals (1966)

Approved  |   |  Action, Adventure, Western  |  2 November 1966 (USA)
7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 9,385 users  
Reviews: 84 user | 40 critic

An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.

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Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
...
Ehrengard
...
...
Raza
...
...
Grant
Joe De Santis ...
Ortega
Rafael Bertrand ...
Fierro
Jorge Martínez de Hoyos ...
Eduardo Padilla - Goatkeeper (as Jorge Martinez de Hoyos) (as Jorge Martinez De Hoyos: in closing credits)
Marie Gomez ...
José Chávez ...
Revolutionary (as Jose Chavez)
Carlos Romero ...
Revolutionary
...
Banker
Edit

Storyline

A rich Texan, J.W. Grant, selects three men and invites them to his private train to offer them a contract: Rescue his wife who has been kidnapped by a Mexican revolutionary. The leader of the men, Rico, decides they would be a better team if Grant would hire one more man, an explosives expert. Grant quickly agrees and soon the four are off to complete the contract. However, while on the trail, they discover some interesting facts, like has Mrs. Grant 'really' been kidnapped? Written by AzRanger

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Rough, tough and ready. See more »


Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

2 November 1966 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Die gefürchteten Vier  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)|

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Ralph Bellamy remarked that director Richard Brooks didn't need a megaphone or loudspeaker to make himself heard, even in outdoor shots. See more »

Goofs

When the team makes it back to the train after capturing Mrs. Grant Claudia Cardinale and the ambush is waiting for them, Ehrengard Robert Ryan is initially shown from inside the train car sitting facing sideways to the open door of the train car, then from outside he is shown with his back to the door of the train, then back to inside and he is sideways again. See more »

Quotes

Rico: Interesting pass.
Bill Dolworth: It's a beaut. You should see it from upside down.
See more »

Connections

Featured in Memories from 'The Professionals' (2005) See more »

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User Reviews

Impressive Hybrid to "The Wild Bunch".
21 October 2003 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

A rich Texas landowner (the elderly Ralph Bellamy) hires three men (Robert Ryan, Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin) to go into Mexico and return his beautiful wife (the ultra-erotic Claudia Cardinale) to him after she was kidnapped by a gang of ruthless thugs led by Jack Palance (made up to look Hispanic). The three accept the challenge, wanting to get paid handsomely of course, but as they advance and get closer to Cardinale a thin line develops and it becomes unclear if everything is really the way it appears to be. The scope of a quickly changing West before a backdrop of the Mexican Revolution only adds to a movie that nearly touches greatness. Writer/director Richard Brooks (Oscar-nominated in both categories) began to knock on the door with a potentially very dark Western here and in 1969 director Sam Peckinpah would knock that door down with the amazing "The Wild Bunch". Brooks, not known for this genre, created a legitimate winner here with this production. Sometimes though the characters lose out because of the beautiful cinematography by Conrad L. Hall (Oscar-nominated) and the fact that Cardinale is just illuminating when on the screen (she is the only actress with any substantial screen-time). Her amazing beauty overshadows all the males throughout. Thought-provoking, action-packed and highly interesting, "The Professionals" is a sometimes forgotten would-be masterpiece from the usually impressive genre. 4 stars out of 5.


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