Color, 1981, 108 mins. 20 secs.
Directed by Georges Lautner
Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly, Cyrielle Clair, Robert Hossein, Marie-Christine Descrouard, Elisabeth Margoni, Jean-Louis Richard, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu
Radiance Films (Blu-ray) (UK RB HD), Kino Lorber (Blu-ray) (US RA HD), StudioCanal (Blu-ray & DVD) (France / Germany RB/R2 HD/PAL), Divisa (Blu-ray & DVD) (Spain R0 HD/PAL), Eagle Pictures (Blu-ray) (Italy RB HD), Image Entertainment (DVD) (US R1 NTSC), Optimum (DVD) (UK R2 PAL) / WS (1.66:1) (16:9)

By the time the 1980s rolled around, Le ProfessionelFrench superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo had fully transitioned from the acclaimed arthouse Le Professioneland caper films that made his career to a reliable box office persona as a charming, usually jeans-wearing action hero delivering hair-raising, often self-performed athletic stunts. 1981's Le Professionel marked his third film in a row for director Georges Lautner (following Cop or Hood and Le Guignolo) and proved to be one of his greatest successes of the era, complete with an iconic Ennio Morricone score (one of several he did for Belmondo) that ironically ended up being altered drastically for the finished film.

Sent to assassinate a propped-up dictator in Africa, French agent Joss Beaumont (Belmondo) gets caught up in a corrupt power shift that sets him up for a forced labor stint at a prison camp. After two years of tortuous imprisonment, he and a fellow prisoner arrange an explosive, violent escape, with Joss returning to Paris bent on revenge against his former employers and completion of his original mission on the politician who's visiting France for a diplomatic appearance. The dogged Commissioner Rosen (Hossein) heads an attempt Le Professionelto stop Joss who is playfully threatening his targets when he isn't bouncing between other people from his past including his lover, Alice (Clair). Joss' vengeance soon becomes a very public spectacle including a wild car chase across Paris courtesy of the legendary Le ProfessionelRemy Julienne.

Though Belmondo's films could sometimes tip over perilously into goofy comedy or excessive seriousness, Le Professionel gets the balance just right with its propulsive revenge narrative making room for moments for the star's charming side to shine. You can't help but root for him thanks to a formidable array of foes here, including a young Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu (The Vanishing) and a particularly good Hossein. In keeping with the times, the cynical resolution feels like a holdover from the prior decade and probably won't come as much of a shock; needless to say, Belmondo and Lautner went in a much more cheerful direction with their next collaboration, Happy Easter.

Unlike some of his peers like Alain Delon, Belmondo never had much interest in becoming a Hollywood star or acting in English; therefore, even his biggest hits like this one were primarily geared for the European and Asian markets where his name was an automatic draw regardless of the project. Only a handful of his films from the prior decade got extensive English-friendly exposure, and this one didn't hit U.S. shores until a subtitled DVD release from Image Entertainment in 2001. In France and Germany Le Professionelit's been available non-subtitled in every major format, with the U.K. eventually getting a DVD in 2007 as well. The first subtitled Blu-ray appeared from Kino Lorber in 2019 featuring a nice master from StudioCanal with film grain intact and accurate colors, with DTS-HD MA Le Professionel2.0 French mono audio. Extras include an audio commentary with this writer, Howard S. Berger, and Steve Mitchell, plus the trailer and bonus trailers for Le Marginal, Le Doulos, and The Sicilian Clan. A much-expanded special edition appeared on Blu-ray in 2026 from Radiance Films, taken from the same master with identical video and audio quality (the latter in LPCM 2.0 mono) with improved English subtitles. The commentary and trailer are ported over here, plus four additional video extras. A new interview with critic and author Ginette Vincendeau (17m32s) covers Belmondo’s movie persona, his rise to stardom, the importance of the multiple Morricone scores, and the increasing popularity of his physical agility. Then an interview with film score specialist Lovely Jon (31m48s) parses out the odd, important history of the film's key use of his popular "Chi Mai" theme (turned into a song, of course) previously heard in Maddalena and featured in prominent TV commercials. It's a great listen for Morricone fans and a thorough guide to one of his signature themes. Also included are short archival TV interviews with Belmondo (4m23s), covering his thoughts on cinema versus TV and his opinions on film critics, and with René Chateau (6m42s), Belmondo’s agent, producer, and associate, about distribution and PR for one of the country's biggest names. The limited edition also comes with a booklet featuring an archival Lautner interview.

Radiance Blu-ray

Le ProfessionelLe ProfessionelLe ProfessionelLe ProfessionelLe Professionel

Kino Lorber DVD

Le ProfessionelLe ProfessionelLe ProfessionelLe ProfessionelLe Professionel

Reviewed on May13, 2026