michael_gothard_archive | Entries tagged with for your eyes only (1981)

This is the photo used in Michael's 1982 - 3 Spotlight entry.

The photo is from “For Your Eyes Only” (1981) in which he played assassin Emile Leopold Locque. It was taken by Keith Hamshere.

Michael was with a new agent, John Redway & Associates Ltd.

In 1981, American Cinematographer interviewed Arthur Wooster, Second Unit Director, and Director of Photography on ‘For Your Eyes Only.’ He told them about the second unit work, including how the stuntmen worked with Michael Gothard for the car chase in the tunnel. Some extracts from the interview appear below.

The Second Unit Has All the Fun
By ARTHUR WOOSTER, BSC.

In a film boasting "wall-to-wall action", much of that action - both in and under the water-took place in front of second unit cameras.

As Second Unit Director and Director of Photography on the latest James Bond movie, FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, I constantly found myself in situations where much of the action was. Our Second Unit shot the following sequences: the three car chase, the climbing sequence, the underwater fight between Bond and Melina and JIM at a depth of 600 feet, the underwater fight between Bond's submarine and the Mantis (a small, one-man submarine), part of the keel-hauling sequence to cut in with Al Giddings' material shot in the Bahamas, the Front and End Title sequences (directed by Maurice Binder).

The hectic car chase sequence involved a tiny Citroen 2CV being chased by two powerful Peugeots. Bond and Melina, the leading lady, are in the 2VC and the two Peugeots are much faster. Therefore, the only way they can get away and survive is by being very clever and very "Bondish".

We had Remy Julienne, who was the French stunt-car coordinator, with his team and two sons driving the stunt-cars …

The whole sequence was shot on Corfu, and John Glen and I went on a recce and planned the sequence, which was storyboarded when we got back to England. This is what happened on all of the sequences we shot …

Towards the end of the sequence the 2CV has to jump one of the Peugeots, hit the roof and then carry on down. Remy built a very long ramp and actually started on the hill side, working out very, very carefully, almost to the millimetre, exactly where the car would land and from where it would take off. Every car stunt he arranged was planned to such a degree of accuracy that we never had any problems about choosing camera positions, as he could tell us to an inch where everything was going to happen.

… As far as camera speeds were concerned, we varied the camera speeds all the time, but not very much-the cars were going fast enough not to have to under-crank much to make them look fast.

We had another car chase sequence which takes place after Bond and his party have raided a warehouse at night and the "baddie" gets away in a car with Bond chasing on foot up steps to try to cut him off in a maze of zig-zag bends ...

One of the problems with this particular sequence was that the tunnels through which the car had to drive were extremely narrow and the driver, Michael Gothard, who is the actor, drove the car himself. This was necessary because we were shooting at night and I was lighting it so that we could clearly see the actor.

He had to drive very fast through these tunnels – he was terrified and we were terrified – but he did it marvellously and only scraped the sides of the car occasionally. Remy Julienne practiced with him driving and I think Remy was quite scared being driven by Michael. They slowly got faster and faster going through these tunnels and Remy built up some of the corners of the edges of the tunnels, so that as he went round the corners the wheels went up on the bits of concrete and helped him to get round the corners faster.

Finally they all arrive at the top and Bond shoots at the car hitting Michael in the shoulder. The car goes into a brick wall and finally Bond kicks him over into the sea.

We had a lot of bad weather shooting this sequence-it rained constantly so we had to try and shoot the material inside the tunnel when it was raining and when it stopped we would rush outside and shoot the exteriors.

The sequence was supposed to happen just before dawn and Alan Hume had lit the main part of the sequence down below in the warehouse, where they have the shoot-out, for night. I lit with Brutes and Sun-Guns and odd bits of lighting to try and make it progress, so that as they got to the top of the steps it was dawn and there was enough light to be able to show the car going over the cliff …

Michael in Paris, circa 1960. My friend and landlord of my first solo flat. I miss him dearly and think of him and his "Shakespearean" way every single day. Oh, how fondly I cherish the memories of our roof top cups of Earl Grey, and puffs of hash.
A magnificent man.

I first got in touch with Sean McCormick after seeing this photo, and the dedication below it, on a general memorial website. Sean very kindly shared some memories with me.

Michael Gothard was a family friend, whom Sean first met in London in June 1981, just after ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (in which Michael appeared as assassin Emile Locque) came out. They continued to meet and socialise until Sean moved back to New Mexico, late 1982, and Sean also rented a room from Michael in 1984/5, when he returned to London to work.

Sean's account: 1981-2

… my dad and I earned our living on the streets with our Punch & Judy show, and it had taken us to London where my dad landed a job working for Jim Henson on ‘The Dark Crystal.’¹ My mom was hired as a buyer and I started my apprenticeship.

Dan² once again got the bug to get out of the States, and he wanted to learn stain glass, so he decided to make his way to London.

Before his arrival he gave us the name and phone number of an old friend of his from the Paris days; he was an actor, and maybe we could get together and network a little.
( Read more... )

Portrait of Emile Locque from the HMSS website.

Mad Magazine spoofed "For Your Eyes Only."

Here are the panels feature Emile Leopold Locque's alter-ego, Emile Loxx.

Emile Leopold Locque appeared in a book on Bond Villains.

Thanks to Joshinator for finding these pictures.

The quotation is from Roger Moore's autobiography, "My Word is my Bond."

"… perhaps the most important henchman, as far as my portrayal of Bond is concerned, was Michael Gothard. He played Locque and his demise changed the way I played Bond.

In the story, Locque had killed my ally, Ferrara, leaving his calling card of a pin badge in the shape of a white dove. Bond later chased Locque’s car on foot, and after a few well-aimed shots from my faithful Walther PPK, forced the car off the road and into a cliff-top wall. There, delicately balanced on the edge of the cliff, Locque looked to Bond for help.

The script said Bond was to ‘toss the dove pin at Locque and then kick the car hard to force it over the cliff.’ I said that my Bond wouldn’t do that. It would be far better, I reasoned, if in tossing the badge in I caused Locque to move, thus unsettling the balance of the car, and sending him over that way.

John Glen was adamant that this man had killed my friend and now I should show my anger and a more ruthless side to my character. It didn’t sit happily with me, so we compromised – I tossed the badge in and gave the car a not-so-hard kick to topple it.

Many critics and Bond-experts have highlighted that scene as being an important one in the evolution of Bond on film. So maybe I was wrong?"

Bond films, by their nature, lend themselves to the creation of character profiles for the characters, both heroes and villains, and Emile Leopold Locque is no exception. Here are a few of the profiles created for him.

Wikia

Emile Leopold Locque is a henchman working for Aris Kristatos in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, played by Michael Gothard. He is a brutal killer who was originally a part of a drug syndicate in Hong Kong, eventually becoming an enforcer in the Brussels underworld. He was arrested and sent to prison in Namur, Belgium; however, he broke out after strangling his psychiatrist.

In a scene in which Bond is skiing, Locque forces Bond down the slope, where another man attempts to kill him. Bond escapes, however. Locque is also the man Bond saw at the home of Hector Gonzalez, the hit man who killed Melina Havelock's parents.

Locque returns later and kills Luigi Ferrara, Bond's Italian contact. He is finally killed when he is shot in the chest, causing him to wreck his car. The gunshot does not kill him. As his car is hanging over the edge of the cliff, Bond tosses a small medallion at him, and then kicks the car over the cliff. This move by Bond is debatable among Fleming's fans about whether or not the Bond in the series of novels would kill in cold blood in that fashion.

More details here.

Profile on James Bond Multimedia

Emile Leopold Locque played by Michael Gothard is the third villain of For Your Eyes Only … A known enforcer in the Brussels underworld, Locque is a cold-blooded convicted murderer that escapes from prison by strangling his psychiatrist. An assassin hired by Aristotle Kristatos, Locque leaves small dove pins with his victims to implicate Kristatos’ arch-enemy Milos Columbo. Locque is another villain who is silent, but especially with his metal octagonal glasses looks very intimidating.

Bond, Columbo and his men … track Locque to a warehouse in Albania, where they flush him out. In an excellent scene Bond chases Locque in his car on foot using a series of tunnels and short cuts to emerge just in front of him. Taking his time to line up the target hurtling towards him, Bond hits Locque sending his car spinning out of control balancing dangerously on the edge of a cliff. Locque is killed when Bond coldly gives the car a good kick of the cliff after saying a few final words to him.

More details here.

Profile on MI6 website

Emile Leopold Locque is Kristatos' right hand man. The cold-blooded killer has been known to be involved in drug syndicates in Marseille and Hong Kong. His calling-card is a dove-shaped lapel pin which he normally punctures his victims’ skin or clothing with post mortem.

A sly and vicious killer, Locque is the perfect associate for the greasy but seemingly innocent Kristatos. Tasked with the more hands-on duties of the smuggler's intricate business, Locque delights in his work. His last post was as an enforcer in a prominent Brussels-based mafia, before going freelance and winding up with Kristatos.

Little else is known of the killer. A man of very few words but when he does talk it is to the point and always about business. A presumed psychopath, the goon has grown somewhat controllable under the ever-vigilant watch of Aris Kristatos.

Involvement

Locque is first spied by James Bond when he delivers a payoff to Hector Gonzales, who had brutally gunned down Melina Havelock's parents (really agents for the British Government). Bond watches from his place in the undergrowth as Locque brings payment and when things turn heated, the goon kills one of Gonzales' guests. The villain is quick to react when Gonzales is murdered by the lovely, yet deadly, Melina Havelock - out for revenge. Locque takes the cash and escapes the scene with ease.

He pops up again in Cortina, where 007 is meeting with the local MI6 agent on the scene, Luigi Ferrara. He watches on as Eric Kriegler, the "boyfriend" of Bibi Dahl, attempt to assassinate 007 in a high-paced ski chase. Locque also organises the killing of Countess Lisl, with his team of dune buggies.

After Kriegler fails to take care of 007 and his MI6 cohort, Locque takes matters into his own hands by killing Ferrara in cold blood. This angers the British spy and Bond has his revenge after he discovers who the assassin is working for.

Locque is on the scene when Bond and Columbo raid Kristatos' warehouse. Bond gives chase as the villain escapes by planting a bomb.

Ultimately, Locque reaches a nasty end. He is shot several times by Bond whilst trying to flee. Later, 007 gives his vehicle the boot from a teetering cliff top. Before Locque dies, Bond "returns" the dove pin Locque left with Bond's ally, Ferrara.

More details here.

the full wiki

He is not heard to speak during the film, although he is not mute: at one point, he is seen speaking into a car phone (although his voice is never heard), and he screams in terror in his final scene.

More details here

And finally, one for the spoof version of the character from Mad Magazine:

E-Film Critic

Michael Gothard as the ruthless hitman Locque gives the film a cold core of villainy the main villain perhaps lacks, saying a lot with no dialogue at all.

This is the first Bond film in an age, that's genuinely tough and gritty. This is best represented in Moore's best performance as Bond. Gone are the quips and smugness that ruined his performance in 'Moonraker', and instead we have a toughness, edge and depth that was Connery's trademark. Just watch the scene where he disposes of an assassin by quietly reminding him of who he's killed before his face twists and he boots him off a cliff. It's a remarkable scene and Moore's single-best moment as Bond.

Full review

Ajay Singh

As the vengeful Melina, Glen cast French actress Carole Boquet who gave a strong and magnetic performance, a perfect foil for Moore. Renowned British actor Julian Glover played the villain of the piece, Aris Kristatos giving him great charm and panache over a heart of stone.

Kristatos is nakedly out for anything he can get and doesn’t care what he has to do to achieve his goals. Michael Gothard is silent and sinister as henchman Loque, making the most out of a role with no dialogue.

Full review

DVD Verdict

The role of the Villain's Helper is divided into two characters, with Michael Gothard as Emil Locque (whose looks and evil silence are enough) and John Wyman as Erich Kriegler (whose athletic prowess makes him a worthy 007 opponent).

Full review

The Escapist

As for the bad guys, the main one is Aris Kristatos ... He is a smuggler of various illicit goods, and plans to get his hands on ATAC and sell it to the Russians for money … Julian Glover has quite a bit of charisma, playing his role believably. You could see why Bond initially believed his story that a business rival, Milos Columbo … was the one trying to get his hands on ATAC. However, as the movie gets further along, you see his colder side, showing that he is truly the villain, and that any charm he has is only to further his own goals.

The other main villain is Emile Locque (played by Michael Gothard of the 1973 version of "The Three Musketeers") ... he plays the role of a hitman quite well, despite looking like a less nerdy version of Bill Gates, and never talking. He has an air about him that makes you take him seriously as a villain.

It's a shame he dies halfway through, being replaced with the KGB agent Eric Kriegler (John Wyman of "Revenge of the Pink Panther"). Wyman does all right, but he never seemed as much of a threat as Gothard, especially after a temper tantrum earlier in the movie.

Full review

Surrender to the Void

The casting by Debbie McWilliams and Maude Spector is incredible for the ensemble that is created … John Wyman is very good as the henchman Erich Kriegler who is proven to be a formidable opponent for Bond while Michael Gothard is also good as the mysterious killer Emile Leopold Locque.

Full review

Sticky Trigger Entertainment

His moments with Melina, warning her of the dangers of revenge, carry a thematic weight because it seems like Bond is dropping the act. Similarly, his brutal execution of Locque is easily the darkest moment of Moore's tenure and one of the most gripping. With barely a word of dialogue, Moore communicates the kind of moral toll that a licence to kill may take on a man's soul, whilst also saying that this is personal and for once, he's going to enjoy it. It's his best performance by a long shot and his most interesting spin on the character of James Bond; sadly, this film is the only one where he gets to let it loose.

Highlight: It's a tie between Bond kicking a car off a cliff and Bond climbing up to the monastery.

Full review

Rambles: Tom Knapp

Rather than settling for a single, obvious megalomaniacal villain, For Your Eyes Only gives us two suspicious rivals (Julian Glover as Aristotle Kristatos and Topol as Milos Colombo) and allows us to guess at which is really the bad guy.

Add a sinister assassin (Michael Gothard as Emil Locque), a murderous skier (John Wyman as Erich Kriegler) and a sex-crazed American skater (Lynn-Holly Johnson as Bibi), who is too young for even Bond's broad tastes, and you have a cast who'll keep you watching and guessing throughout the film. Rather than hit us over the head again with plots to rule (or annihilate) the entire world, Eyes provides a more believable, realistic scenario which is a suspenseful pleasure to watch.

Full review

WhatCulture!

Emile Locque played by Michael Gothard is Kristatos’ other henchman. A hired assassin who organises the deaths of the Havelocks as well as killing Columbo’s mistress in a vicious attack using high powered beach buggies to run her down. Locque is most well known for providing Moore with his game changing scene on the edge of a cliff and while his appearance is deceptively placid he is one of the most brutal henchmen of the series so far.

While there is still room for Moore’s trademark quips they are toned down in favour of a Bond more akin to early Connery than the excessive seventies style Bond. Moore shows a side to the character that has rarely been seen until this point giving him a mean, vengeful streak.

This is most evident in a scene where he has a choice to save or kill the lead henchman, Emile Locque, as his car hangs on the edge of a cliff. As Locque has been responsible for the death of two of Bond’s close associates he chooses to kick the car away from the cliff edge providing Locque with a painful death and marking a brutal change in Bond’s approach.

Full review

Emile Leopold Locque by Keith Hamshere, Getty Images.

Memory from Michael's friend Sean McCormick.

I saw Oliver Reed's (one of my favorite British actors) name, and it immediately brought back to mind an amusing and inebriated lunch with Michael Gothard in the Executive dining room at E.M.I. Studios.

Michael had us in stitches with his description of a typical luncheon with his friend and co-star Oliver Reed, and Reed’s at-the-time co-star, Klaus Kinski. Reed and Kinski were shooting ‘Venom’¹ and Michael was wrapping the Bond film² at Pinewood.

Michael spoke of the absolute hatred Reed and Kinski had for one another: the war, pure and simple. Kinski would order his meat (beef) raw, because he ate it that way, and – mostly – because he knew Reed hated it. Sorry for the profanity, but the following exchange, which Michael recounted, is word for word.

Reed: You absolutely disgust me, you heathen.
Kinski: Shut up you English pig! I hate you!
Reed: You vile Nazi!
Kinski: I hate you, you English sheeet!
Reed: I thought we had killed all of your kind in the war.
Kinski: [smacking his full mouth of raw meat] Fuck you English! I hate all of you Engliiiish pigs!
Reed: Then why don't you just fucking go home, you Nazi c**t!

According to Michael, this was not an isolated event, in fact it was daily, and on the set of ‘Venom.’ Things were so bad that they had to change the script and schedule so Reed and Kinski had as little time together as possible.

Michael's telling of the tale was the best, and one that should have been filmed for sure! Michael got a big kick out of telling that story; he would look at you over the top of his glasses and get the funniest look on his face!

~~

¹ ‘Venom’ was released in November 1981. Klaus Kinski played a hostage-taker Jacques Müller and Oliver Reed played his accomplice Dave Averconnelly.

² ‘For Your Eyes Only’, in which Michael Gothard played Emile Leopold Locque, released June 1981.

Marvel Super Special Magazine: For Your Eyes Only on-set report, including an interview with Michael Gothard.

This came out in 1981.

[Contessa Lisl’s] killer in For Your Eyes Only is a cold-eyed assassin called Emile Locque. Played by Michael Gothard, Loque is the film's equivalent of such past villainous henchmen as Red Grant in From Russia With Love and Mr. Wint in Diamonds Are Forever. Gothard is no stranger to cinematic evil – during his career he's played a vampire (in Scream and Scream Again), helped to burn Oliver Reed alive in The Devils and stabbed Simon Ward to death in The Four Musketeers. But he's suffered a lot of on-screen retribution himself.

"I've been killed in so many different ways on both the large and small screens," he said wryly. "I've been hanged, stabbed, strangled, shot, immersed in an acid bath,
crashed on a motorcycle, killed by a 10-year-old boy by a vicious blow to the spine, drowned and – on one memorable occasion – stabbed and drowned simultaneously.

It's quite a challenge to try and make an impact with a character as restrained and quiet as Locque. I had to act in a sort of straitjacket but I certainly did my best to make him into a menacing and evil presence. Audiences usually remember the Bond villains, and their henchmen, so I'm hoping I won't be an exception."

Speculation:
Some of these on-screen deaths are ones we know about:
As John, he was hanged in Michael Kolhlhaas.
As Kodai, he was shot in Stopover.
As Keith, he was immersed in an acid bath in Scream and Scream Again.
As Terry, he crashed on a motorcycle in Up the Junction.
As Hansen, he was killed (or at least maimed, which resulted in his being killed) by a 10-year-old boy by a vicious blow to the spine in The Last Valley.

That leaves four deaths "stabbed, strangled, drowned and stabbed and drowned simultaneously" unaccounted for.

If, as Michael says, these deaths were on film or TV, they must presumably each have occurred in one of five productions:
- the Armchair Theatre play - The Story-teller - in which he played Brian
- the episode of Menace – Nine Bean Rows - in which he played Pip
- the episode of Fraud Squad – Run for your Money - in which he played Jacky Joyce
- the Thirty Minute Theatre play – The Excavation - in which he played Grady
- the TV series - The Further Adventures of the Musketeers - in which he played Mordaunt.

We don't yet know which death belonged to which character.

Filming started on 15 Sept 1980, at Villa Sylva in the hills above Corfu town. The first scene filmed was the one at the poolside, where Locque (Michael Gothard) had been sent to pay off a hired assassin.

The crew spent 5 weeks in Corfu. The beach buggy scene, in which Locque killed Contessa Lisl (Cassandra Harris), was filmed in the south west of the island.

They then moved to central Greece, shooting in the Meteora mountains and the town of Kalambaka. This may have been where Bond (Roger Moore) pushes Locque’s car off the cliff.

After that, they worked at Pinewood Studios for three months.

Just after New Year’s Day in 1981, filming moved to Northern Italy, to the exclusive ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the southern Alps, known for its ski-ranges, scenery, and après-ski scene.

Scenes where Bond is stalked by Locque were filmed in the town, outside the Miramonti Hotel, and on the three-stage cable-car ride at the top of Tofana Mountain.

Locque's henchmen then pursue Bond on bobsleds and snowmobiles.

According to JoBlo “the action scenes are excellent, boasting some of the best stunt work in the series – especially the sequence where Bond skies down a bobsled run” but that “tragically, one of the stuntmen died filming this sequence.”

On set photo

Michael Gothard rehearses part of the beach buggy scene with Roger Moore.

John Glen in “For My Eyes Only – My Life with James Bond.”

“Debbie [McWilliams – the casting director] found Michael Gothard, whom we cast as the assassin, Locque. Michael was a captivating actor, perfect to play an inscrutable and ruthless killer. He suggested that Locque should wear the thick octagonal glasses that somehow made him appear even more sinister.”

In correspondence, John Glen says: “I cast Michael Gothard in "For Your Eyes Only" and he contributed many ideas on this, my first effort as a Bond director. He suggested the distinctive octagonal eye glasses which gave him a sinister look.

I remember him as a very pleasant person as well as a fine actor. Also his beautiful wife who made a brief appearance in Cortina ..."¹

Profiles of the character Michael Gothard played, Emile Leopold Locque can be found here.

¹ No record has been found of Michael having been married, but M.T., to whom John Glen refers as Michael's wife, is also mentioned by Sean McCormick, who met her in 1981, when he first met Michael.

In this episode of the popular crime/spy drama, “The Professionals”, Michael Gothard plays Kodai, a KGB agent, and an old adversary of George Cowley, the head of CI5.

Working with a double-agent, Radouk, Kodai’s original mission was simply to kill Cowley, but instead, Kodai accidentally hits Meredith, a former British agent they are using to draw Cowley into the open.

There follows an elaborate cat-and-mouse game, in which the three of them again try to lure Cowley out, promising to name another British agent who is working for the other side.

Meredith becomes a liability, so Kodai kills him, managing to elude Bodie and Doyle for a second time, and earning them a roasting from Cowley.

Cowley goes to a meeting, to exchange a large amount of money and a new British passport with Radouk, for the name of the double-agent.

Kodai turns up instead, collects the package and then shoots Cowley. Cowley falls, as if dead, but he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.

The team then follow Kodai’s helicopter to a big house, where Kodai meets Radouk and tells him his mission is complete and Cowley is dead. The team show up – there is a car chase which ends in a stand off in the woods, in which Bodie shoots Kodai, and Radouk is taken prisoner.

Speculation: it seems likely that Michael's role as KGB agent Kodai in this episode helped secure the role of hired assassin Emile Leopold Locque in "For Your Eyes Only."

Filming

According to "The Professionals" fansite, CI5, filming took place between 23 April and 4 May 1979, though the episode was not shown until 10 November.

Among locations used were:
Friern Barnet Lane, North Finchley, London, (Kodai's and Radouk's house)
Frithwood Avenue, Northwood, Middlesex, (safe house)
White Waltham Airfield, Maidenhead, Berkshire, (RAF Manley airfield).

The stunt arranger was a man Michael had worked with on “Arthur of the Britons” – Peter Brayham.

Michael Gothard as a Russian

Russian fan, Helena, was asked what she thought of Michael’s Russian accent when he was speaking in English, and also the way he spoke the Russian language.

“I'd say, the accent was VERY good. If I didn't know that Michael Gothard was not Russian, I would have thought that he was, because Kodai sounds a lot like one.

Probably this character's English is that of an English-speaking Russian who had some language training, but it (the language) was second priority. His accent is that of a professional in some other field than linguistics; he sounds like a man who knows English pretty well, but either his teachers did not tell him how to build up a native speaker-style accent, or he didn't listen to them. So all in all he's producing a very convincing accent, I like that!

His Russian was pretty good too, by sounded like that of somebody who isn't a native speaker, but who learnt Russian as an adult (perhaps a Pole). Though there were traces of an English-speaking actor too, but more subtle than most of the time in films and TV series.

The name of this KGB assassin makes me wonder, though ... Kodai does not sound like a widespread Russian given name to me. Maybe it's a nickname. or a surname."

Fan reviews from The Professionals fansite:

Mark: A little formulaic, though fast-paced, brutal, action-packed ... and endlessly thrilling!

The plot is complex and if you have to watch it a couple of times to understand what's going on, I don't blame you! However, unlike the later 'Runner', this one does make sense! The whole episode ultimately revolves around the huge twist at the end - and Cowley happily keeps his men in the dark all the way through ...

The action scenes here are terrific - some great camera-work and direction …

For the first time in the series, I think, Cowley begins to doubt the competence of his own team …

Loved seeing the Granada being put through its paces at the end!

"I'm quite looking forward to seeing Kodai again." / "Oh, yeah - can't wait!" / "Oh he's not such a bad sort. A bit careless with firearms, I'll concede but ..." / "Yeah and he loves animals and children, I know!"

Sharon: This is a great action episode. Lots of excellent shooting … The driving stunts are particularly good. The plot is terrific.

Cowley is at his best - ferocious, snappish, self-sufficient and secretive, not even fully trusting his two best agents.

A fine episode with some particularly good aspects. High praise to the stunt folk!

The Professionals fansite

IMDB entry