I just finished watching Leon: The Professional yesterday and I'm still thinking about it today. I've been a major fan of Luc Besson for years, ever since I watched La Femme Nikita. Leon: The Professional (released as The Professional in the US) is a very different style of film but every bit as poweful.
The plot of the movie is simple enough. Leon (Jean Reno) is a tortured soul. He never seems truly happy or at peace with himself. He lives quietly from kill to kill, harming no one whom he has not been paid to assassinate. He is a simplistic 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 in his life.
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 with her little brother and trys to escape from the real world.
When Mathilda's family is brutally murdered by a drug crazed DEA agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman), her only chance for survival is to hide with her neighbour, Leon. 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. I have not seen anything that matches it in terms of intensity or emotion. I found myself caring for the characters involved, an unique experience in itself.
By Rainey
The plot of the movie is simple enough. Leon (Jean Reno) is a tortured soul. He never seems truly happy or at peace with himself. He lives quietly from kill to kill, harming no one whom he has not been paid to assassinate. He is a simplistic 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 in his life.
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 with her little brother and trys to escape from the real world.
When Mathilda's family is brutally murdered by a drug crazed DEA agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman), her only chance for survival is to hide with her neighbour, Leon. 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. I have not seen anything that matches it in terms of intensity or emotion. I found myself caring for the characters involved, an unique experience in itself.
By Rainey
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