Leon: The Professional (1994)
I managed to catch this on TV a few days ago( I try to watch it whenever its telecast on the local channels)…this is probably the third time I’ve watched it and I still think its brilliant. The first time I watched this movie, I must have been about 11 and even then I knew that this was a great movie. The funny thing though is that I remembered it to be much longer than the 1 and half hour that it really is…but then I found out that US version was shorter than the international one.
Natalie Portman plays Mathilda , an unloved young girl ,often beaten by her parents and sister. When her family is killed by Stansfield, the drug-crazed corrupt cop, she seeks shelter from Leon( Jean Reno), her next door neighbour. Now Leon as it turns out is a hit man, and as soon Mathilda finds this out, she convinces him to teach her the ways so that she can avenge the brutal murder of her brother (the only family member she loved). Reluctantly he agrees.
What makes this movie brilliant is the touching yet intense story of two very interesting well developed characters, great script and stylish action sequences. The actors performances too were superb. Jean Reno was excellent as Leon, the lonesome hit man whose best friend is a plant.Gary Oldman was wicked as Stansfield, the unpredictable, drug crazed psychotic cop who is determined to hunt down Leon and Mathilda. But praise has to be given to Natalie Portman as Mathilda. Seeing that this was her debut role, she did a brilliant job in portraying such a complex character. Mathilda was at first a frightened, vulnerable child and yet was able to turn into a person so determined to seek out revenge that she is capable of killing and Natalie was able to capture it perfectly.
I am not a fan of action movies…but I have to say this is one of the greatest movies out there. I would highly recommend anyone to watch it. So rent this movie the next time you go to the video store!
Mathilda: Is life always this hard, or is it just when you’re a kid?
Léon: Always like this.
Leon: The Professional
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