Professionnel, Le (1981)

Director:

Georges Lautner

Writers:

Patrick Alexander (novel)
Jacques Audiard (writer)

Release Date:

21 October 1981 (France)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Plot:

French secret agent Joss Baumont is sent to one of the African countries to kill their president Njala...

Plot Keywords:

Eiffel Tower Paris | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Josselin Beaumont dit 'Joss'
Jean Desailly	...	Le ministre
Robert Hossein	...	Le commissaire Rosen
Michel Beaune	...	Le capitaine Valeras
Cyrielle Clair	...	Alice Ancelin
Jean-Louis Richard	...	Le colonel Martin
Sidiki Bakaba	...	Le prisonnier évadé
Pierre Saintons	...	Le président N'Jala
Marie-Christine Descouard	...	Doris Frederiksen
Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu	...	L'inspecteur Farges
Elisabeth Margoni	...	Jeanne Baumont
Pierre Vernier	...	Salvatore Volfoni
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maurice Auzel	...	Un flic
Baaron
Michel Berreur	...	Clochard
Jean-Claude Bouillaud
Daniel Breton
Julien Bukowski
Jacques Canselier	...	Livreur de fleurs
Guillaume Corea
Gérard Darrieu	...	Picard
Cheik Doukouré
Pierre Forget
Dany Kogan	...	Le Sergent Gruber
Beate Kopp
Sidney Kotto
René Lafleur
Marc Lamole
Guy Mairesse	...	Instructor Picard
Bernard Marcellin
Bele Mukeba
Samuel Nolison
Serge Nubret	...	L'infirmier au procès
Pascal N'Zonzi
Claude-Bernard Perot
Yves Pignot
André Weber	...	Le clochard "associé"

Also Known As:

The Professional (USA)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Camargue, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Cerito Films

Trivia:

Like many other Belmondo vehicles, this movie was purchased by the Soviet movie ministry in 1982. However, it was not released until 1990.

Goofs:

When the clochards reach the car with the policemen inside, one of the chlochards 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 after, the roof is completely clean again.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma, Les (1995)

Soundtrack:

Le Vent, Le Cri

Profoundly Emotional

I found the movie profoundly emotional. The side story with the wife and the lover gets an insight into Jean Paul Belmondo's character's personality. It is a bit far fetched that his character would go to such lengths to accomplish what he accomplished in the end, however, you spend so much time in prison for standing by your country and see how you will react. I think that the suspension of disbelief in this movie is not too hard. The ending is also excellent. When the movie ends you realize how much you felt for the main character. The soundtrack is also excellent and it adds to the overall emotionality of the movie.