In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

During the Mexican Revolution, rancher Grant hires four men to rescue his wife Maria (Claudia Cardinale) from bandit Jesus Raza (Jack Palance). Raza is demanding an $100k ransom. Henry Fardan (Lee Marvin) is the leader, Bill Dolworth (Burt Lancaster) is the explosives expert, Hans Ehrengard (Robert Ryan) is the horse wrangler, and Jake Sharp (Woody Strode) is skilled with the bow and arrow. They find the bandits ruthlessly massacring captured government troops. The four men plan to take on the massive rebel force to take back Maria except things aren't what they seem.This is a well executed movie made by ... (well yes) professionals. Richard Brooks is an expert filmmaker. The leads are all veterans. The action is big and well done. There are plenty of explosions. The location is tough, dusty, and gritty. It is a very solid action movie.

I really wanted to enjoy The Professionals and I gave this film every opportunity to entertain...but in the end I was not satisfied. This picture is 117 minutes but it seems more like 3.5 hours as the scenes move slowly (except for the gun battles) and the dialogue is stilted and stale. There is a scene in the middle of the picture where Mexican bandit Jack Palance attacks a train filled with Mexican soldiers and a ridiculous blood bath occurs. The scene is shot and acted so casually that the picture briefly dips into farce. Palance walks down a line of sitting prisoners and shots each in the back in such a comical fashion that I actually burst out laughing. This film tries hard to depict light hearted gun battles for some unknown reason. The director Richard Brooks wants us to believe that The Professionals are all people of solid morals even though dozens of people are killed. The premise of the film is 4 tough guys go to Mexico to save Cardinale who is supposedly the kidnapped bride of the much older and always excellent Ralph Bellamy, many people end up dieing before the so-called surprise moral ending. The ending of the film is given away half way through the picture so the ending is not really exciting to anyone who has been paying attention. This acting of this film is made up of Burt Lancaster quickly becoming the lead character and doing his usual routine as the smiling bandit with a heart of gold. Lee Marvin is his usual rough edged character riffing one liners and heavy stares throughout the picture but this is not one of his best works-he seems to sleepwalk through much of the film. Robert Ryan plays a good guy in this picture and as always is understated and excellent and Woody Strode also does good work despite his underwritten character. Claudia Cardinale definitely gives it her all as the constantly enraged Mexican beauty (she pulls it off even though she is actually Italian). Claudia is quite good looking and it is fun to watch her chew-the-scenery with her heavy acting. Overall I give this picture a 5 out of 10 due to its weak script and poor editing...it was shot beautifully and had strong actors but it just doesn't come together and has many slow points. I had hoped for a classic but ended up watching an overlong average Western.

Certainly can't say I was shortchanged in the action department. If it's not dynamite going off, it's a fusillade of rifle or pistol shots, with an occasional machine gun or bow and arrow thrown in. I expect if it were 50-years later, an A-bomb would also appear. Devious rich guy Grant (Bellamy) hires four soldiers of fortune (the four principal actors) to retrieve his kidnapped wife Maria (Cardinale) from Mexican bandito cum revolutionary Raza (Palance). Each hired professional has his military specialty, and between them they blow up half the Mexican countryside getting the wife back. Then too, Raza's no bleeding heart revolutionary as we see him cold-bloodedly execute about 20 captured Federales. So when the professionals, headed by Fardan (Marvin) make a shambles of Raza's base, we figure good riddance.The thing is that this is more than just an action picture with a major twist at the end. In addition, there's a subtle theme playing out in the subtext of a quite clever script. When, at the end, the professionals trail after Raza and and Maria as they head back to Mexico and the revolution, we know the four are not just soldiers of fortune or military professionals, they're idealists, as well. After all, as Raza informs Dolworth (Lancaster), revolution is like a beautiful woman, you are drawn to even though you know the realities will inevitably disappoint. So now, having rejected millionaire Grant and what he represents, the four trail after the beautiful Maria and the wounded Raza. And now we know something more profound has been going on beneath the action filled surface, entertaining though it is.Marvin and Lancaster are excellent in their dominant roles, while Strode gets a fringe role, which for the time period—early 1900's—is not surprising for a black man. Too bad, as others point out, that the superb Robert Ryan is not given more to do, but I guess that was because of health concerns. Fortunately, Palance resists the temptation to over-emote in a role that invites such. However, too many other Mexicans appear stereotyped in boisterous, sneering Hollywood fashion, the movie's biggest failing, in my little book.Anyway, it's an exceptional action movie, well acted, staged, and photographed, with a sneaky script and first-rate direction by writer-director Brooks.

But... Well, I am sorry. When I saw the synopsis of this movie I thought it looked like a great action adventure. When I saw its IMDb rating that impression hardened. Then I saw it was nominated for three Oscars, including for best writing and best directing...Well, I am sorry. Again. And again. Sorry. While I get why it was nominated for best cinematography I can't understand what the writing nomination is for... Really. May be the source material was exceptionally well adapted??? If that is the case, then the source material is cr@p. Sorry. Again.The movie started really well. Introducing the characters and their goals, setting the story up... And then it all went nowhere. Oh, of course, a lot of things happened, the plot moved on... But as time passed it made less and less sense and by the end I realized that everything the characters did, everything they fought for, everything was completely pointless. I don't want to go into details but that is the truth. The writing is completely horrible. Instead of developing the characters the writers decided to give the actors a few info-dump lines about their back story. And half of the main characters didn't get even that! How am I supposed to know them? How can I like them? Why would I care about what happens to them? I didn't.But the cinematography was stunning.