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Reviews
The Professionals (1966)
Good for a boring Tuesday night, but not much else
I went into this movie knowing only the cast and the basic plot; I hadn't read any reviews or checked its score on IMDb. I was ready for a good film. I mean, Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Woody Strode, Jack Palance and other great actors, all in one film?! How could it not be phenomenal!
Well, it wasn't. The dialogue tried too hard for witty comedy that it couldn't achieve. Lee Marvin was at his low in this film, rarely breaking monotone, and looking very disinterested the whole time. Burt Lancaster was annoying as hell. The film went to pains to play him off as a witty rogue. He even says at one point: "I'm one of the most corruptible bums I know." And yet, he doesn't do anything along those lines. Strode and Ryan barely had any lines, suppressing their talent. Palance was really the only character who was believable/enjoyable. The best things about this movie are Palance and Cardinale. Mostly Cardinale. A good movie if you're bored and want to kill time; not if you're looking for a good film.