Le Professionnel (1981) - film review

Secret agent Joss Beaumont is sent to Malawi to assassinate the president Njala.  At the last moment, the French authorities make a change of policy and betray Beaumont to the Malawi government.  After two years in captivity, Beaumont escapes from the African state and returns to Paris to enact his revenge.  He notifies his former paymasters that he intends to carry out his mission, by killing Njala during a state visit to France.  The ruthless Commissioner Rosen is assigned to prevent him at all costs…

Le Professionnel is a good example of the hard-edged yet overly simplistic 1980s French action thriller.  With its beautiful, wistful photography and a haunting musical score, it has an artistic tone which few films of the genre bother with.  As in many such films of this period, Le Professionnel has a political sub-text, demonising a morally bereft establishment whilst siding with a victimised outsider.

The film’s gritty realism (including some very violent action scenes) is offset by a pleasing smattering of tongue-in-cheek humour, courtesy of Michel Audiard’s excellent dialogue.  (Audiard himself disliked the film and even asked that his name be removed from the credits.)

Jean-Paul Belmondo is on fine form in one of his most familiar roles, one which suits his action-man physique and solitary personality perfectly.   He is complemented by some other star names, including Robert Hossein, in an unusually tough role as the sadistic Rosen, and Jean Desailly as the brilliantly caricatured minister.

The film was enormously successful during its run in France, attracting 5.2 million spectators. Ennio Morricone’s evocative film score (including the famous Chi Mai theme) enjoyed a similar success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies.

© James Travers 2001

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