The Professional

Original title: Le professionnel

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

18K

YOUR RATING

Jean-Paul Belmondo in The Professional (1981)

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Action Crime Drama Thriller

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.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.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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

18K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations total

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Ennio Morricone's musical theme "Chi Mai" was composed for Maddalena (1971). The song was completely re-recorded in 1978 for the single "Disco '78" with heavier drums and in a different key. After hearing this version on the radio, Jean-Paul Belmondo was so impressed that he suggested it should be put into the soundtrack of his film. Ultimately, the record of this musical score was not only more successful than its initial release but came to be one of Morricone's bestselling work. The music was used again in the 80s for a Royal Canin commercial (a dog food brand) featuring slow-motion running dogs, and this became so famous that most people now associate "Chi Mai" with the commercial. It was even spoofed in Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002). When a national tribute for Belmondo was held right after his death in 2021 in the Hôtel des Invalides, "Chi Mai" was played.

Goofs
When the tramps reach the car with the policemen inside, one of the tramps destroys a bottle on the roof of the car, so the roof gets wet and there are lots of glass splinters on it. In various shots afterward, the roof is completely clean.

Quotes
Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss': [Farges is drinking a cup of coffee at a bar, when suddenly Beaumont appears from behind him and dips a croissant in his cup. Shocked, Farges drops his cup to the floor.] Opps, no more coffee!
[Farges tries to take his gun, but Beaumont stops him.]
Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss': Leave it. It's mine.
L'inspecteur Farges: I didn't want to hit her. Rosen told me to.
Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss': [Brutally punches Farges in the face.] I didn't wanna hit you either. My wife told me to.
[Resumes eating his croissant.]
Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss': You're being unfair. It's a job. I don't enjoy hitting people.
Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss': Your'e right. A job is a job.
[He throws two more punches to Farges, who collapses against a nearby billiard table, leaves to exit, turns around]
Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss': The croissant's for my friend.

Connections
Featured in Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (2012)

Soundtracks
Le Vent, Le Cri
Composed by Ennio Morricone
Directed by Ennio Morricone
Published by Général Music France

User reviews59

Review

Featured review

8/10

Shouldn't really work today, but oddly it does

Look at this movie with young and fresh eyes, and it shouldn't work.

Look at it with older eyes (I'm 42) and it shouldn't work either. I mean, so much has happened in over 25 years! But somehow magic is involved, and the movie works. There is something to be said about french cinema from the 60s/70s/80s. Timeless classics were made.

I might view this with rosy eyes since it's from my youth. But I actually saw it in my youth and didn't think much about it. Having re-viewed it a few times in my older years, I start to notice the details of the story, the beauty of the acting and the actors of the era. But while the story as such is fine, what really ties the movie together is the sound track. Ennio Morricone did something extraordinary here. The notedly beautiful "Chi May" (italian for "whatever") may not be from 1981 (it was done years before), but here it really finds its home. Rarely does music from a sound track of a relatively unknown movie induce such feelings almost 25 years later.

And with that said, I can only say this: If you enjoy real, old school cinema, this should really be on your "movie bucket list".