Leon: The Professional
"Flying High On Explosive Action." -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello star in Leon, a go-for-broke thriller about a professional assassin whose work becomes dangerously personal.
Calling himself a "cleaner," the mysterious Leon is New York's top hitman. When his next-door neighbors are murdered, Leon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family's sole survivor -- 12-year-old Mathilda. But Mathilda doesn't just want protection; she wants revenge. Training her in the deadly tricks of his trade, Leon helps her track the psychotic agent who murdered her family. From the electrifying opening to the fatal finale, Leon, is a non-stop crescendo of action, suspense and surprises. This uncut version contains 24 minutes of extra footage deemed too explicit for the American audience.
Member Reviews
LUC BESSON CLASSIC - ALCAMIKE
I watched this movie with my family and we all agreed a fantastic film. Plenty of action and suspense. Natalie Portman's debut film was an incredible beleivable performance. Jean Reno is also a great talent. Highly rated Luc Besson has a unique style that you simply fall into. great soundtrack as well.Character Drama Provides Enrichment Seldom Seen in Crime Action Thrillers - c4th
Following Natalie Portman’s recent Oscar success, you may find it interesting to see how this beautiful and talented actress got her start. Whether you are revisiting or viewing this movie for the first time, you should be overwhelmed by the level of directing and acting, which includes a remarkable debut performance from twelve year old Portman.
In Leon: The Professional, a young girl (Portman) is orphaned by an execution of her family carried out by corrupt law enforcer (Gary Oldman). By bizarre coincidence of circumstance, Mathilda is taken under the wing a hit man living in her building. Motivated to avenge her family’s execution, Mathilda requests some training in the art of “cleaning”. With huge reservation, Leon reluctantly agrees to her proposal. From this tutor-student relationship, a father-daughter bond evolves. Fuelled by Mathilda’s infectious charm, Leon’s emotional side is unveiled as he transforms from indifferent instructor into parent and protector.
Director Luc Besson is able to inject this in-depth character drama without compromising the movie’s appeal to fans looking for fast paced action and heart stopping sequences. Instead it provides an enrichment seldom seen in crime action thrillers.Really slick. - Superdave
A wonderful cast, especially Jean Reno and a 12-year-old Natalie Portman, highlights this high energy action thriller helmed by Luc Besson. The always interesting Gary Oldman plays a clever, dangerous and very bent cop who murders the family of a lowlife drug runner, unaware that a young daughter (Portman) has survived and sought the protection of a hit-man (Reno). The plot follows her pursuit of revenge against the cop, but the film centers on the unusual relationship that develops between the now-orphaned girl and the loner hit-man. This is the best aspect of the film: logical, carefully developed, sweet and dramatically powerful.
The production is great-looking, slick yet effectively gritty and realistic and the action sequences are brilliantly staged. This was the first Luc Besson film I had ever seen and recognized that I was seeing a really big new talent. Highly recommended.
Member Reviews
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LUC BESSON CLASSIC - ALCAMIKE
I watched this movie with my family and we all agreed a fantastic film. Plenty of action and suspense. Natalie Portman's debut film was an incredible beleivable performance. Jean Reno is also a great talent. Highly rated Luc Besson has a unique style that ...Character Drama Provides Enrichment Seldom Seen in Crime Action Thrillers - c4th
Following Natalie Portman’s recent Oscar success, you may find it interesting to see how this beautiful and talented actress got her start. Whether you are revisiting or viewing this movie for the first time, you should be overwhelmed by the level of directing ...Really slick. - Superdave
A wonderful cast, especially Jean Reno and a 12-year-old Natalie Portman, highlights this high energy action thriller helmed by Luc Besson. The always interesting Gary Oldman plays a clever, dangerous and very bent cop who murders the family of a lowlife drug ...