Léon: The Professional (1994) User Reviews (1,476)

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

[Methos-7 · 10/10 · 16 May 1999]

Luc Besson's movie Léon (The Professional) gives us an intense story which is maximized in potential by the casting of the movie done by Todd Thaler. Every aspect of the movie delivers to the audience and makes an impressive overall package. Jean Reno plays a character named Léon who has learned to repress his emotions in order to perform his job as a "cleaner", or hit-man. His secluded world is shattered by the young girl named Mathilda who lives on the same floor as he does in an apartment building. When she turns to him for help, he learns about living a normal life, even if the circumstances which unite them are far from normal.

The performance delivered by then twelve-year old Natalie Portman as Mathilda is nothing short of brilliant. Her ability to relate to others with body movement and facial gestures is matched by few, she really brings raw emotion and believability to a difficult role. Mathilda and Léon are unexpectedly thrown together, but learn to value life from their chance encounter, and how valuable a friendship can be.

Jean Reno as Léon gives us a solemn and calculated character who sets all of his energy on his assignments until her is given something else to care about. Mathilda gives him the daughter that he never had, while Léon serves as a father and friend to her. Gary Oldman, as the corrupt DEA Agent Norman Stansfield, offers the viewers an amazingly wired and electrical performance which pushes the envelope. He moves the story along by his actions. Oldman offers us a memorable portrait of a sadistically obsessed man who stops short of nothing to get what he wants.

The Professional is what movie-making is all about. Without the overuse of special effects, a large shooting location, or a commercially star studded cast, we are given all that could possibly be asked for in a movie. Portman, Oldman, and Reno, along with Danny Aiello as the hit-contractor Tony remind us that there is no substitute for great acting. There are elements of comedy, drama, and action, and great original music by Eric Serra adds to the energy the film already encapsulates. The most impressive thing about the movie is its story which is basic but is maximized by all the other elements which go into the making of the movie. Simply put, an intense and impressive movie.

Masterful

[tjcclarke · 10/10 · 29 March 2004]

I have long thought that owning films on DVD or video is a waste of money - you watch them once and after that they are left to fester at the back of a cupboard. Occasionally I make an exception - some films simply cannot be fully appreciated on just one viewing. Every time I watch Leon is as gripping and enjoyable as the first. Sad, funny, violent, incredibly touching - few films manage to tick all the boxes and even fewer are about hitmen.

It obviously helps when your leading man has as much screen presence as Jean Reno. Thin and wiry with toilet brush hair and a face like a bag of spanners, he is hardly your typical gun-toting action hero, but he has an innocence and compassion that makes you fall for him instantly. Leon's life is as simple as a small child's: TV, lashings of milk and the odd gangland assassination. He cannot read, he doesn't sleep, he hasn't the trappings of family or wealth (the fees for his hits are habitually trousered by his `benefactor': sleazy small-time Italian gangster Tony (Danny Aiello)) - In short, he lives like a robot. And then he meets Mathilda.

Normally I can't stand Hollywood kids. They are all doey-eyed, bouffant-haired brats who can cry on cue and are always ready with a cutesy, smart-alec comment that will cause their adult co-stars to tinkle with laughter or tousle their hair playfully. Often they are kidnapped and huge ransoms demanded while their parents go demented with worry. I for one am usually rooting for the kidnappers.

Natalie Portman's Mathilda is the antithesis of these namby-pamby Dawson's Creek actors-in-waiting. For starters, she has something justifiable to gripe about, in that her entire family has just been slaughtered by Gary Oldman and his gang of crooked DEA officers. This is a bit of a blow, to say the least, but Mathilda takes it all in her stride and teams up with Leon in a bid for revenge. So begins one of the stranger relationships in silver screen history, but one of the most memorable.

On the face of it, a love story between a twelve year old girl and a hairy French hitman would raise a few eyebrows among more conservative movie-goers, but director Luc Besson handles it so beautifully, it seems like the most natural thing on earth. They are united in being totally alone in the world - indeed, the scene where Mathilda walks quietly down the corridor past the carnage in her apartment and knocks on Leon's door, imploring him in a tearful whisper to let her in is as breathtaking as it is heartbreaking. Leon is wary at first, but she soon wins him round and starts to gently bring him out of the shell.

Portman is truly astonishing - one can almost forgive her for being a part of the appalling Star Wars prequels on the strength of this one performance. The iconic image of this tiny, grubby little girl clutching Leon's beloved plant and trotting to keep up with her lanky hero's giant strides is one that will live long in the memory.

Aiello and Oldman (at his sadistic, malevolent best) provide predictably excellent support, there is a wonderfully suspenseful yet satisfying ending - heck, there's even a decent Sting song playing over the credits - for this (if nothing else) it would be remiss of me to give Leon anything other than top marks.

10/10

A shameful praise of a fantastic film.

[Insincere Dave · 10/10 · 21 December 1999]

Leon (Jean Reno) is a tortured soul. He lives in squalor and misery, never truly happy or at peace with himself. After all, he is a hitman. He lives quietly from kill to kill, harming no-one whom he has not been paid to assassinate. He is a simplistic, childlike man who lives by his own set of morals but is troubled by them. The one thing he seems to fear above all else is change.

Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is Leon's neighbour. A young girl, she lives with her father, step-mother, half-sister and half-brother. As unhappy as Leon, she lives in awe of the dark stranger, unaware of his true profession. Beaten by her parents and sister, she has abandoned school and instead spends the day watching cartoons and trying to escape from the real world.

When Mathilda's family is brutally murdered by a drug crazed Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman), her only chance for survival is to hide with her neighbour. When she learns of Leon's true identity, she becomes infatuated with both him, and the grim world he inhabits.

This stark portrayal of humanity and inhumanity is produced with the style and finesse that one expects from Luc Besson. In addition, the combined talents of Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman provide not only an unmatched on-screen chemistry, but also three perfectly created characterisations, the like of which are rarely seen in today's cinema. This film has my personal recommendation of being the best piece of cinema that I know of. I have not seen anything that matches it in terms of intensity or emotion - and believe me, I've looked. I found myself caring for the characters involved, an unique experience in itself. This is not the type of film for a night in with your mates, but nevertheless, it is an unforgettable piece of cinematic history.

Very well executed

[cdsmith-2 · 10/10 · 27 August 2000]

This film was absolutely amazing. I have spent hours re-watching various scenes and noticing all the perfection with which they are acted and directed. It's not the violence or action sequences that make this movie so great (although they are well done...), but rather moments like where Mathilda knocks on Leon's door. It would be so easy to just film the door opening, but instead we see light illuminating Natalie Portman's face, symbolizing something angelic. And the moment has so much more meaning.

I know a lot of people who have seen this film because they are action fans. I'm not. But I'm glad I finally found it, because it's a wonderful film in so many other ways.

Visceral and intelligent - Besson's masterpiece

[Twinsen61 · 9/10 · 19 January 2004]

Leon is one of the most emotionally intense movies ever made. French director Luc Besson uses everything: actors, music, camera angles, lighting to create an unique experience - "It's not realism, it's not naturalism - it's heightened reality" as Gary Oldman very well put it.

In "The making of The Professional" Besson says "If I imagine somebody in the street try to knock on my daughter, I kill the guy, in five seconds. I kill him, and I think "It's in me, I'm a beast!" On this part we can't forget that a part of us, the genetic things inside are much, much older than The Ten Commandments". He certainly uses visceral scenes to create very strong emotion in the movie - the blood running from Mathilda's nose or Stansfield's unforgettable "EVERYONE!" are just a couple of examples. The music and the sound are excellent and are used in a masterly fashion - you can hear Fatman's heart beating desperately or a low claustrophobic sound when Stansfield turns to look at Mathilda's father.

However Leon does not work only on this primary level, it also has an intelligent story. It may seem to be almost a fairy-tale, but don't be fooled - just like his character Besson is serious. This movie has a message: without love we are dead, even if we don't see it. Only true love give meaning to our lives: "everything else reminds me a big yogurt: warm and rancid" as Mathilda says in the original script, which is available on the net under the name Leon Version 1. Is this true in "real life"? I don't know but this movie can make you wonder.

Then of course there's the sensuality. It's hypocritical to deny it, the camera interacts with Mathilda in a mesmerising fashion. It's not sick and it's not degrading: it's art, subtle and beautiful.

Leon is not perfect but it has so many great moments that all its flaws can be forgiven. It's a movie that really should not be missed, unless you are concerned with its amorality. And don't be - Leon is less violent than many action movies and the unusual relationship between the main characters is handled mostly with genuine feeling and tact.

Where are the accolades?

[jcapelli · 10/10 · 16 July 2002]

This movie is rated 63 on the imdb top 250 movie list, showing that people obviously like this movie, and with good reason. But why the hell didn;t this movie garner at least one single oscar or golden globe nomination??

natalie portman's performance was terrific as the emotionally ravaged matildha - best actress nomination for sure.

jean reno should have been nominated for a best actor nomination. the fact that the audience is led to feel sympathy and sorrow for a hitman speaks words enough about his performance.

gary oldman is fantastic as the corrupt and psychotic cop. his character is so repulsive and chilling, but at the same time so quirky and interesting to watch. best supporting actor nomination.

luc besson. when this man will get some kudos for his work i never know. the professional, in my opinion, is his greatest achievement as a director and, considering the fact he has helmed classic cult films such as nikita and the fifth element, the professional must rate highly as one of the best films of the 90's atleast! best film and best director nominations should have been given.

but no, it was all too easy to heap praise on the feel good movie forrest gump, and shun the movie that, through its intensity and tragedy, better highlights the value of life and love.

An Action Film For Lovers

[robbijean · 10/10 · 24 November 2000]

With enough blood and gore to please any fan of action movies, and a unique love story to please the ladies, this is a great movie for couples to watch together. However, to truly comprehend the beauty of this film, you must see the European Cut.

The U.S. version is still a great movie, but it cuts out 24 minutes which contain much of the heart of the movie and most of what makes the film a work of art instead of the usual action fodder. Elements of the story which are only hinted at in the U.S. cut become the centerpiece of the story when the un-cut version is seen.

The two main characters are a recently-orphaned girl who is wise beyond her years and a hitman who is still an innocent. Their relationship unfolds against a backdrop of murder and revenge as director Luc Besson explores issues of age and maturity, good and evil, and the interplay of life, death and love.

The acting in this film is superb. Reno has an expressive face which conveys a myriad of emotions with great sensitivity and few words. He is cold as ice as the almost super-human 'professional', but his performance is most moving when he reveals his sensitive side. Watching as his wounded soul slowly begins to heal is enough to touch the heart of any woman, but it is handled so subtly that it never becomes too 'sappy'.

In her film debut, Natalie Portman turns in a performance that is beautiful beyond belief. She manages the transition from a frightened child to a woman capable of killing so convincingly that it makes the relationship between she and Leon not only believable, but understandable.

Gary Oldman is just the best psycho there is, and it is kind of nice to see him without all the strange makeup for a change. As a dirty cop in this film he personifies evil, and it is a joy to watch him do his thing.

The special effects are all you could hope for. Besson does great actions scenes - especially the explosions. There is also a lot of humor and when you throw in the tender love story - this picture has it all!

One of the greatest thrillers of all time.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 11 June 2023]

A hitman is forced to look after twelve year old Matilda, who's family has been killed.

Leon was and will forever be a masterpiece, it is a thought provoking, dramatic and pretty violent thriller, one that will actually challenge you, making you question what's actually happening in front of your eyes.

Violent and bleak in parts, but not lacking some humour, the game of charades for example is a real hoot, and breaks the serious narrative up a little.

Best scene for me, the showdown in The Gent's toilet, where Matilda finally confronts Stan, the acting is off the scale.

The relationship between Leon and Matilda is complex, but one thing that I noticed, is that every aspect of it is driven by Matilda, not Leon, he just goes with the flow.

The acting is phenomenal, there are a trio of first class performances, Jean Reno and Gary Oldman as you'd expect are captivating, but credit to a young Natalie Portman who is on par, defying her young age and inexperience, no wonder.

This amazing film still packs a punch.

10/10.

Excellent, smart action film.

[rustysettler · 10/10 · 4 January 2005]

Luc Besson's "The Professional" is sort of a companion piece to his international breakthrough hit "La Femme Nikiti", and in many ways it's an even better film. It raises the stakes of Besson's playful women-with-guns theme by making the heroine a 12-year-old, played by a then unknown Natalie Portman. Jean Reno is excellent as her assassin trainer and surrogate father. Oldman is completely over the top in one of his best bad-guy roles, obsessed with both Beethoven and butchery. As a gritty, suspenseful thriller, this film won't leave action fans feeling cheated, but the film is so much more than that. At the center of "The Professional" is a wonderful father and daughter-like relationship between two damaged strangers who find solace in each other.

a symphony in film

[Gjay2 · 7/10 · 25 April 2003]

luc besson will never top this movie. This is his benchmark, his classical composition. Look at the precise, intricate scenes. It's a symphony in cinema. Straight off, it's action. Intelligently shot, and scripted. It makes everything that follows hard to live upto. But it does so easily. It's stylish without being showy, it's deep without being sentimental. And it's just hugely enjoyable. Seeing the friendship between newly orphaned mathilda and skilled assasin leon bloom, is tenderly done. At risk of slipping into a sappy bond, besson keeps it easy on the emotions, without coming off as shallow.

The actors are all spot on, most notably the debut from a young natalie portman as mathilda. Showing an angry, sad, pent up, in love girl is no simple task but she breezes through it, touching all the right notes. And jean reno as the title character, is minimal but very effecting. Hard to understand, but easy to relate too. But gary oldman steals it, with his glorious overacting. He's as scary as he is determind. His line delivery is almost perfect. And his fate is very fitting. If only they made more intelligent action movies, then they could contend with this film. But as it stands right now, leon is one of the best action dramas ever made.

Masterpiece of violent Characterisations and fast action-shooting

[psiko · 10/10 · 5 August 1999]

An interview with Anne Parillaud, in the Evening Standard, 24.8.90, it was said that the message of Nikita is not one of violence but the idea is that people who are full of despair and missing love are not alone.

This idea continues in Léon. Léon was Besson's first foray into international film production. The similarities, or parallels, between Nikita and Léon are undoubted. Both the central protagonists attempt to come to terms with their dysfunctionality, to society, against a background of violence, which they both continue to act upon as the agent of someone else. There is no clean difference (we may also include Le Dernier Combat for comparison.) The only difference is gender.

I always found that until obtaining the "Version Integral" there was a character hole in the plot. The original cut released for US audiences was felt, by Besson, had an "offending" scene cut which ruined later scenes. The American test audiences hated it, seeing it as perverse and paedophiliac. The film was still panned by US critics as quasi-child pornography on general release. What it to be understood about this film, and this is what infuriated Besson, is that the film is about pure love. Not sex, which is all the Americans, could see.

And so we have ascertained that the characters in Besson's films are, simply, great. Then there is the action which is all the grace and style of Nikita. Typical of Besson's style with fast action-shooting and violent characterisation. This has to be one of Jean Reno's and by far Natalie Portman's best screen performance. To me, Gary Oldman plays his part to the tee, said by some magazines to be the best screen bad guy - it is one of his best performances.

Stylisation and excess are hallmarks of Besson's work. Characters are larger than life. Décors are in excess of realism. Besson's characters lack psychological depth. "The sumptuous and the ornate cohabit with the violent or the vulgar." Besson's use of excess is also extremely playful mixing violence with humour. Besson's work appeals to the tastes of popular culture and may not please that of the elite - arguably a reason for the rejection of his work by many intellectual film journals.

I have yet to hear of a person putting a bad word against this film. There is nothing I can personally fault so I give this film 10/10, a score only two other somewhat different films hold in my IMDb list of 345 films - "The Wizard of Oz" and "La Cité des Enfants perdu". If you like French Cinema or consider yourself a cinephile you must see the latter.

Everything is overshadowed by unusually sexual undertones between Leon and Matilda

[ACollegeStudent · 6/10 · 17 August 2022]

Rating: 6.8

The themes they were trying to convey about love, and maturity (Matilda was a child forced to grow up, and Leon an adult who never truly "matured" they helped each other) was completely drowned out by the overwhelming creepiness between the relationship of a grown man and 12-year-old girl. Natalie Portman was grossly sexualized in this, we had scenes of her wearing lingerie, calling Leon her lover, telling Leon she's in love with him, and waking up in the same bed as Leon which is shot like you're typical "morning after" scene. While Leon never advances on her confused romantic love, it shouldn't even be in here as it adulterates their supposed father-daughter relationship. Some of the action sequences were ridiculous: ex Leon getting blown up and then changing into an officer's uniform in less than 10 seconds. And the villain was just a one-note psychopath for no reason (why was he eating those pills? How did this man become a drug enforcer? Why is he so unhinged?)It turns out the writer was dating a 15 yr old girl at 29 years old during this and it just shows through his work.

Would be a great film, if it wasn't so disgusting

[saje_ · 2/10 · 30 October 2021]

The only reason I'm not giving it 1 star is because the performances were incredible. Gary Oldman was phenomenal, and this was Natalie Portman's first acting credit, and she did so well considering how young she was. But that also segues into the main and irredeemable issue with this movie; Leon and Mathilda's relationship.

Mathilda is insanely sexualized and Leon honestly doesn't do a ton to dismiss her feelings toward him. The movie on its own is disturbing, but knowing that Luc Besson married and impregnated a 15 year old girl when he was 31 really sheds a lot more light on the situation. In the international version of the film there are a lot more sexual situations with Leon and Mathilda, and in the original script, Besson went so far as to write in the two of them having sex. It's clear that this film is a reflection of Besson's own deranged life, and unfortunately the spectacular performances and every other great aspect of the film that garnered significant critical acclaim cannot redeem the film. I simply cannot overlook the depravity of a pedophilic relationship, portrayed as some beautiful thing.

"I like these calm little moments before the storm..."

[ConkerBFD91 · 9/10 · 18 February 2008]

Many movies have characters in them who are hired assassins, or "hit men". They're the standard "badass" character that kills people in order to collect a reward. Most hit men in films have been portrayed as cold, heartless villains (Boba Fett of Star Wars, Vincent of Collateral). Léon, however, flips this cliché on its end, as the hit-man is the kind-hearted protagonist who learns how to love, thanks to a little girl who shows up on his doorstep.

Léon begins in a restaurant, with the assassin himself (Jean Reno) taking a contract from his boss Tony (Danny Aiello) to kill a man who's moving in on Tony's territory. The next 10 minutes become an enthralling cat and mouse game where Leon shows the viewers just why he is known as the cleaner: he is extremely good at this job. We also see Leon's human side, shown by his passion for milk, his affection for his plant (whom he calls his best friend) and when he becomes engrossed watching Singin' in the Rain. Leon seems quite content with this life, not seeming to want anything more. That is, until he is forced to take custody of a twelve-year-old girl (Natalie Portman) whose entire family was cruelly massacred by a corrupt DEA agent (Gary Oldman). This is where Leon is forced to change his lifestyle for the little girl, and when she wishes to get into contract killing to avenge her brother, Leon becomes her mentor and protector.

Luc Besson was both the director and screenwriter for Léon, and he proves with his sophomore effort that he is no one-hit wonder. Léon is a very fast paced movie, chronicling Leon's training of Mathilda, Mathilda's growing affection for contract killing (and for Leon himself), and the final standoff with Norman Stansfield. Despite all this, Léon also has time to throw in some slower scenes that develop Leon's and Mathilda's characters, expanding on their growing relationship and partnership.

Jean Reno does a very good job as Leon, portraying him both as an effective and frightening killing machine, and as a loving and caring father figure. There is almost a childlike innocence to Leon, with him being unable to read and not familiar with most American culture. Reno allows the audience to both sympathize with this character and respect him, an extremely challenging feat.

Natalie Portman's breakout role as Mathilda is one of the greatest acted child roles in a film, period. Portman is able to portray childlike innocence combined with an above average intelligence and awareness of the world around her. Although she is young, she becomes extremely interested in Leon and his job, wanting revenge for the gross acts committed upon her. Make no mistake, Mathilda is the true star of this film, and Portman completely shines in the role.

In comparison to Jean Reno's fairly subdued performance as Leon, apparently Luc Besson wanted a more exciting and over-the-top antagonist for the film: enter Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman completely overacts his character of the crooked DEA cop, and he does it so wonderfully that he steals every scene he is in. This is without a doubt the greatest performance of this underrated actor's career, as the fun Oldman has with this role practically oozes out of the screen and infects anyone who watches him. While some critics criticized Oldman for his performance, it was actually spot on considering that the character of Stansfield is a drug-addicted psychotic cop who has no problem with murdering an innocent family to get what he desires. The only nitpick I have with Stansfield is his screen time is fairly small compared with Leon and Mathilda; nevertheless he completely steals the show when he does appear.

The plot of Léon is fairly straightforward compared to most action flicks, as there are no particular plot twists or double crossings. However, the simple plot works because this is not a plot driven movie, it is a character driven one. That's not to say there is no action in this movie, there are a few great action sequences (especially the spectacular police shootout in the film's climax), but the film mainly revolves around the growing affection between Leon and Mathilda, and how they change each others' lives. Overall, Léon is an extremely well-made action/drama, and one of the best films of 1994.

A Brilliant Conflict

[Sickfrog · 10/10 · 14 August 1998]

This film, better known in the U.S. as "The Professional", is a wonderful and intense film. Jean Reno plays his role as a "cleaner" with incredible subtlety. Leon tries to keep his emotions completely suppressed, yet Matilda (in an extraordinary performance by a young Natalie Portman, who is destined to become a very powerful actress into her adult life) bring out in him a new-found joy for life that accompanies his growing paternal instincts. But, the most dynamic element of this film is undeniably Gary Oldman's performance as a wildly sadistic and crooked DEA agent with his own narcotic-induced demons. His obsessions eventually lead him to the brink of absolute madness in his hunt for the cleaner. Truly, this is Oldman's finest performance to date, worthy of Oscar glory, though sadly forgotten. And so, Luc Besson did indeed top his triumph of "La Femme Nikita" by far with this masterpiece. Though, I cannot exactly praise his most recent effort with the sci-fi misfire, "The Fifth Element."

Being a good hitman takes more than merely a willingness to lay down one's life.

[Fella_shibby · 9/10 · 24 September 2021]

I first saw this in the late 90s. Then again in the mid 2k on a dvd i own.

Revisited the remastered extended version last night with my family.

This movie is more than just a hitman or an assassin movie.

The music is top notch, the characters are very well developed, the action scenes n direction are stylish.

But the best part are the scenes between Reno n Portman. Leon is amazingly n very differently portrayed by Reno.

There is a Bollywood copy known as Bichoo (Scorpio).

The only thing good in the Bollywood movie is that the guy who played Tony gives away all of the hitman's money to the girl whereas in the original, the character of Tony gives only a single currency note to Mathilda n keeps blabbing the same "safer than the usual bank story".

Besson's masterpiece - action cinema with real heart

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 16 August 2016]

Despite having a mainly American cast and being set on the rough streets of New York, this is very much a French film, evident from the crew list at the end of the film. I'm always one to give foreign film-makers a try, as they usually offer up something a little bit more stylish and different than the usual formula. Take Lucio Fulci with his trademark 'hard' and nightmarish horror films, Dario Argento with his gory yet stylistic giallo films, or John Woo's violent, ballet-like action films.

Luc Besson doesn't disappoint with this film, offering us his typical lashings of wit, and drawing charisma and charm from his cast. While THE FIFTH ELEMENT bordered on being silly in places, it was still a fun science fiction film, and kudos to the man for experimenting with different genres. LEON is probably the first film that brought him to the typical American's attention, and I would say deservedly so. While masquerading as a typical action-filled gun fest, it is in fact a film of three parts. The beginning is packed with horrible, unflinching violence from killers who don't have the slightest feeling of remorse - Jean Reno expertly massacres a squad of bodyguards, while Gary Oldman shotguns children and people in the bath. The middle of the film is more like a conventional drama, and it tells the story of Leon, the hit-man, and Mathilda, the young orphaned victim, and their growing love for one another which draws the human side of Leon out of his impassive shell. The ending is indeed all out action.

All parts of the film are great, and Besson frequently shows his American contemporaries how it should be done. As the box says, it is extremely hard-hitting at the beginning, with deaths shown in all their bloody impact. The ending is also brilliant, with a SWAT team laying siege to Leon's apartment; this is non-stop, violent action and easily rivals any blockbuster like FACE/OFF. However, the film's main triumph is that it really makes us care about the two central characters, thanks to the script, Besson, and of course the actors involved.

This is the film that really made Jean Reno something of a star. He's great as the Bruce Willis-like ageing hero, even if he does mercilessly kill people. Natalie Portman is also likable as the child who is old beyond her years, and almost unrecognisable from the bland role she played in STAR WARS. The villain is a drug-taking maniac, brilliantly played with startling intensity by Gary Oldman, who frequently shows his competitors how it should be done. LEON may be sentimental, but this sentiment slowly grows from the start and is realistic and believable, it is not shoved down our throats. Also, check out the ending, which manages to be very good and fitting, and yet sad at the same time. It will make you yell and cry in equal measure.

A Perfect Chemistry

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 7 December 2004]

In New York, León (Jean Reno) is an Italian professional hit-man, who loves drinking milk and has a plant as his best friend. His godfather and mentor is the mobster Tony (Danny Aiello), who loves León as if he were his own son, and his cold blood makes him a perfect killer. When Stansfield (Gary Oldman) and his gang executes the family of his twelve years old neighbor Mathilda (Natalie Portman), León lodges the girl in his place, beginning a weird friendship between a killer and a confused girl wishing revenge. When Mathilda finds who Stansfield is, she presses León to kill him.

'León' is a wonderful movie, having one of the most perfect chemistry in the cinema between Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. The storyline recalls some parts of John Cassavetes' 'Gloria', but the performances of the debutant Natalie Portman and the always-excellent Jean Reno upgrade this film. There are at least three scenes that I really love: the light on the corridor, when León opens the door for Mathilda; when they are walking together in a New York street, coming towards the camera; and when Stansfield hits León. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): 'O Profissional' ('The Professional')

Walk the Line...

[Xstal · 9/10 · 18 December 2022]

Leon is a cleaner for his boss, it's like removing bits of debris when you floss, a variety of tools, he always plays by his set rules, now he's taken in a girl he's come across. She purports to be 18 but she's a child, had to grow up quick with a family that's quite wild, now they have wounds, that won't be healed, after messing with Stansfield, that's left her quite annoyed and somewhat, slightly riled. It's a story of revenge and adolescence, of walking a fine line that may cause offence, but there's chemistry and connection, performances played to perfection, quite original, without too much pretence.

Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and especially Gary Oldman are immense.

Very good in some ways, problematic in others

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 20 April 2018]

When her family are slaughtered by a corrupt DEA officer and his men, a 12 year old girl takes refuge in a neighbour's apartment. A neighbour who it turns out is a professional hitman. She soon convinces him to train her to be his protégée.

This was French director Luc Besson's first American movie. It is a follow up of sorts to his earlier chic action-thriller Nikita (1990), with Jean Reno essentially reprising his role of a cleaner (professional assassin), although in this one he is playing a different character. Like all Besson's movies there is considerable style brought to the table with the action sequences once again particularly well-delivered. But perhaps the true revelation of the movie is Natalie Portman who puts in an extremely strong performance for such a young actress, full of charisma, humour and emotional depth. She plays off well against Reno, who is also impressive. Gary Oldman, on the other hand, is pretty grating and annoying mostly as the main villain, a character who is cartoonish and somewhat ridiculous overall.

While I do find this film good quality for the most part, with great action sequences and some interesting characterisations, I have to express serious reservations about the director's cut, where Portman's young character is constantly trying to get Reno to sleep with her. Its majorly uncomfortable stuff and really entirely unnecessary. And while Léon does spurn her advances, it's never really very clear that he rejects her for entirely the right reasons. Seemingly in the original script, the characters do actually end up sleeping together, which we can only be grateful never actually made the final cut but it does make you wonder what Besson was thinking with all this questionable stuff. My advice would be to avoid the director's cut and watch this one in the trimmed version, which removes all this contentious material.

Some things I liked some I did not.

[petarmatic · 7/10 · 11 April 2014]

I was very surprised to see that this film received such a high grade. I did not think it deserves it.

Things i liked about it. It is the acting of two principal actors, Mr. Reno I like very much from the times of La Femme Nikita, he is a spectacular actor, especially in the roles like these. Natalie Portman is also excellent in a role like this, later in the Star Wars I did not like her that much. I think as a young teenager in this film she is excellent, for the later roles I am not that sure.

Things I did not like. Plot is not realistic. I simply do not like that. When is something like this possible in the real life? Never. Also too much violence, but films of Luc Besson are always like that. I guess it has to be that way. Violence and sex sells. Especially if you throw a slight nudge of pedophilia in it.

UnBeLiEvAbLe.

[mallaverack · 5/10 · 24 November 2017]

Just when you thought the large majority of reviewers on IMDb were reasonable and constructive in their analysis, along comes a film which destroys completely that impression!

This movie is relentlessly and thoroughly implausible from its opening scene to the improbable closing where the sole remaining possession of Leon, a potted plant which has miraculously survived, amongst other things, walls of fire, smoke bombs and bazooka attacks, is planted in what appears to be an open lawn!

Unbelievable that seemingly 80% or more of near 900 reviewers here have very strangely anointed this movie a near masterpiece. My score of 5 is over-generous considering the litany of implausible character and plot situations. The most incredulous situation is the fact that Mathilda is a 12 year old, sometimes acting her age but more often than not engaging in conversation which is not only that of a mature woman but also appears quite disturbing in light of the sexual tension depicted. And for goodness sake, what 12 year old blithely refers to long dead couples such as Bonnie and Clyde?!

The age factor of Mathilda and the implausibility of her words and actions in every scene remain front and center at the startlingly obvious weakness of this movie, regardless of how brilliant Natalie Portman's performance may appear.How incredible that she seems to have taught the near illiterate Leon to read in what seems just over a week. Considering that Leon has been in the US since age 19 and has developed skills as an ace hit-man and YET still can't read English defies credibility. As for Gary Oldman's portrayal of Stansfield, how could the actions of a vicious, destructive pill-popping police officer of seniority go unnoticed? How did he reach such a position in the first place? Totally unbelievable. And how can the near destruction of a hotel in Leon's pursuit of the gangster in the opening scenes, with innumerable rounds of machine gun fire, go unnoticed by anybody else in the building. Unbelievable. No police response until the climax where seemingly hundreds of highly-armed police and commandos with flame throwers and bazookas and smoke bombs and.......absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!

So over-rated, so implausible. This bilge borders on parody. Ridiculous movie-making.

Unforgettable

[greybitsdmg · 10/10 · 11 November 2009]

When I first watched this film at the cinema, I wasn't aware of IMDb. I've since watched it probably 4 or 5 times, and have recently bought the Directors Cut. Having used IMDb a lot recently, I checked out Leon. It was kind of heart warming, having a great deal of my memories of this movie from the previous 15 years being revisited upon me so eloquently whilst reading the comments.

It is a glorious film. One that I've not been able to forget for all the best reasons. I think you could probably choose any sub category art that forms a movie i.e., editing or cinematography, and you'd be hard pushed to find fault.

What makes this film Extra Special however, is the emotional 'ballet' taking place throughout the film.

My emotions were pretty much assaulted by a gang of joy/sadness/hate/fearful anticipation/love/empathy/shock/horror/hope.

It's one of those films.

I adored/respected/loved Leon (I still watch nearly every film with Jean Reno in).

I fell in love with Matilda. I've watched everyone of Natalie Portman's films since too.

I was already a fan of Gary Oldman. This film just added extra glue to that bond. He made a brilliant sociopath, in direct contrast to Leon's (anti-)sociopath.

I occasionally feel for a character (or two if it's a great romance), but it's very rare for me to be drawn into three so very different people's intimate lives so easily.

It's a shame there are too few films of this calibre.

A Tale of Revenge, Love & Life...

[saikatsamanta · 10/10 · 18 September 2022]

One of the most iconic Action films of all time, this story is about a ruthless hitman Jean Reno and his next door neighbour, 12 year old Natalie Portman who lives in an abusive household and how a tragedy makes this two tormented souls find each other, love and life again. Luc Besson directs this one with plenty of bloody and uber stylish action scenes and some really touching moments. The music is pretty damn fantastic and the editing is crisp. Jean Reno owns his role with stonecold attitude but also possess this awkward innocence. Portman gives probably the greatest performance from a Child Actor, playing a kid hungry for love but has grown up too quickly amidst crime. Gary Oldman goes off the hinges, playing a Crooked DEA cop, belting out one iconic line after another. You can watch this film again and again, a Masterpiece !!!

"I take no pleasure in taking life..."

[robelanator · 8/10 · 24 February 2005]

"...if it's from a person who doesn't care about it."

What really stands out for me (aside from the really excellent direction of the action sequences) is the too-brilliant for its own good script. Oldman,Reno, and Portman deliver lines that would seem goofy if spoken by lesser performers. Oldman especially chews the scenery in a way that's both amusing and utterly menacing. I wonder if his Beethoven obsession is a nod to the ultra-violent Alex from A Clockwork Orange?

The American version ("The Professional") was the first version I saw. I'd originally had no real intention of seeing it because I'd read a pretty savage review of it likening it to child pornography. Clearly this particular reviewer had his head firmly planted in his rear. I'm surprised he could find room what with that tremendous stick in the way. Anyway, once I finally saw "Leon" for myself - thanks to my cinemaphile grandfather - I observed no such thing. This wasn't smut, it was love. Leon has no interest in Matilda sexually, but loves her as a father would love a daughter.

If you have a choice then go for the longer director's cut. You get about 15 minutes more film - and not just filler. These are scenes that truly expand upon the story.

My only complaints are about the almost complete under use of the completely underrated Danny Aiello, and Oldman's single dimensional evilness.