The Professionals, based on the novel by Frank O’Rourke

The Professionals, based on the novel by Frank O’Rourke

Given the first part of this Academy Award nominated motion picture, it seems unlikely that the action feature would be about love, values, compassion, meaning, friendship and transcendence.

A rich man, J. W. Grant tries to get his wife back, after a Mexican revolutionary leader, Raza, has kidnapped her and for that, he is ready to pay ten thousand dollars for each man in a party that would get the spouse back.

Lee Marvin, an excellent actor, especially in the role of the brave, tough, determined hero, plays the valiant and resilient Rico Fardan, who seems to be the leader of the expedition, Robert Ryan is Ehrengard, a specialist with the horses he loves so much, Woody Strode plays the part of Jake, the man who can find the trail, knows when the enemy is advancing and more.

Rico Fardan pays the nine hundred dollars bail to get his friend, Dolworth, from jail and invite him to join their rescue mission, into enemy territory, facing incredible odds, ion exchange for the ten thousand that each would get if they return Maria to her grieving husband.

Playing Dolworth is one of the legends of cinema, a divine actor, whose strength, vitality, bravery, talent, charisma were phenomenal, he has left a legacy that includes memorable roles in Atlantic City, Elmer Gantry, Field of Dreams, Local Hero, The Gypsy Moths, The Leopard and more.

Very early on the trail, they have to face the enemy, although it is not Raza yet, but a party of vicious men, who catch the explosives expert, Dolworth, hang him upside down, trying to get all the secrets he has, when they have to confront Rico and the others.

In one interesting, unhappy moment, Dolworth talks about shooting the horses – an advice that we read about in other places, cruel as it is, such as The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, where the guide tells the members of the train that they would not be able to shoot the opposing Native Americans, therefore they need to target the animals.

Both Fardan and Dolworth have been fighting on the same side with Raza, indeed, they used to be friends, fighting for the same revolution, only now the dream of fighting the bad people is finished.

Dolworth has some deep insight when he says that the idea of the good fighting the bad does not work, talks to Raza at one point and says that at the end of the fight, the politicians take over and everything is destroyed – reminding one of the quote - “like Saturn, the Revolution devours its children,”

There is also a joke on the idea of a superficial, of botched, failed revolution, that we could have used for our own uprising, which led in 1989 to the fall of one of the most infamous dictators, the disgraceful Ceausescu:

Dialogue with a Latin American (decades ago) or a Romanian in 1989:

What are you doing? I am going to have my lunch…and after that? A siesta…and after that? I do not know…Maybe a revolution

The group of four braves has to confront a small army lead by revolutionary Raza and the only way to succeed is to use guerilla tactics, employ the talent of the dynamite wizard and create confusion, making the enemy think that they have a very numerous opponent attacking.

The tactics are nearly perfect, Dolworth and Rico reach the room where the kidnapped Maria – portrayed by the outstanding, gorgeous Claudia Cardinale – and before the explosions start, they see their former friend, Raza, enter, approach the resplendent woman.

It is a huge surprise to see that the revolutionary leader is not about to force himself upon or abuse the woman, instead, she is evidently infatuated with the man, embraces, caresses and cherishes the kidnapper.

Is this the Stockholm syndrome in an extreme form, where the victim is so inebriated that she is in awe, or maybe she was drugged, suffered a commotion and her mind is in pain and unable to operate?

There is no time to interpret the situation, for the dynamite set by the Professional is blowing up in various places, the chaos it creates makes the horses and people roam around the enclosure and Dolworth is about to kill Raza, when the leader of the expedition stops him.

They carry Maria away, she explains that she loves the Mexican fighter, she had loved him before she married the rich Texan, forced by her father, while she wants the revolution to succeed, and she loathes the rich spouse that she feels has taken away the wealth of her land.

Therefore, the action movie, with its explosions, gun fights, proofs of valor, acumen, gift for tactics and strategy, clever guerilla operations, becomes a film about love, values, fighting the evil rich, the beautiful heroine in love with the freedom fighter, self-sacrifice, the Wonder Woman, the Super Heroes and the Evil Arrogant Grant.

For quite some time, the expeditionary force fights Raza, in ambushes, using dynamite again, in gun fights, but will they side with the rich or the lovers, is this a kidnapping solved or justice done for the good, who happen to be also beautiful…