Journey into the classic and unknown: 'Leon: The Professional'
James Tschirhart
Issue date: 1/27/06 Section: Entertainment
Directed by: Luc Besson
Written by: Luc Besson
Starring: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman,
Natalie Portman, and Danny Aiello
Running Time: 133 minutes
Rated R for violent action scenes,
language, and slight sexuality
Released: 1994
With the '90s all said and done, we can now reflect upon the decade as a whole, as exhibited by VH1. Yeah, yeah, I know. How can something from only a decade ago be considered a classic? Well, we looked upon John Hughes movies as classics then, so why not start with the "classic" labeling now?
1994 was a privileged year full of awe-inspiring titles at every turn in the year: "Forrest Gump," "Shawshank Redemption," "Pulp Fiction," "Ed Wood," or even "Speed." However, there is one title - which has become more of a classic rather than unknown - I recently saw in all of its original, uncut glory: "Leon: The Professional," or simply "The Professional" as its original American release labeled it.
"Leon: The Professional" is an action movie with a big heart. It follows the emotionally inept, tortured, and lonely hitman Leon (Jean Reno) who ritualizes everything in his personal life and does his job as a "cleaner." Soon, his ritualized life is disrupted by a weeping and pleading 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman) whose family was just massacred in the neighboring apartment by corrupt, psychotic DEA officer Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Having no sympathy for her abusive family, except for her little brother, Mathilda is taken under the apprenticeship of Leon to exact revenge on the DEA agent.
An artistic action movie is what can be described of "The Professional." It is poetic, graceful, and unrealistic, but only because it has that romantic French touch Besson would be familiar with. All of this while giving the necessary action it needs to be an action movie. Unlike the frantic action of John Woo or Tony Scott movies, writer and director Luc Besson is unafraid to take time for character development and show the love that grows between Leon and Mathilda. This is not to say that the movie is boring in any way since it does open up with a bang and closes with a bang.
There are great performances all around too. In what would seem an act of type-casting for Jean Reno as the gun-toting hero, he adds so much more depth to Leon that makes us see there's a ruined innocence in him. In what is Natalie Portman's first movie, the once then 11-year-old actress pulls off a stunning and intense performance that has secured her place today as an up-and-coming talented actress. Gary Oldman is just devilishly over-the-top as the classical music loving, pill popping, corrupt DEA officer. Like an Al Pacino performance, you can't help but love every minute of it.
The cut scenes, that are now added back in, only perfect the movie to the rating I give it now. They improve the relationship between Leon and Mathilda and shed some more light on Leon's background.
Perhaps it might not be all the action junkies' cup of tea, but it is worth watching to see a budding Natalie Portman in her first movie.
Written by: Luc Besson
Starring: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman,
Natalie Portman, and Danny Aiello
Running Time: 133 minutes
Rated R for violent action scenes,
language, and slight sexuality
Released: 1994
With the '90s all said and done, we can now reflect upon the decade as a whole, as exhibited by VH1. Yeah, yeah, I know. How can something from only a decade ago be considered a classic? Well, we looked upon John Hughes movies as classics then, so why not start with the "classic" labeling now?
1994 was a privileged year full of awe-inspiring titles at every turn in the year: "Forrest Gump," "Shawshank Redemption," "Pulp Fiction," "Ed Wood," or even "Speed." However, there is one title - which has become more of a classic rather than unknown - I recently saw in all of its original, uncut glory: "Leon: The Professional," or simply "The Professional" as its original American release labeled it.
"Leon: The Professional" is an action movie with a big heart. It follows the emotionally inept, tortured, and lonely hitman Leon (Jean Reno) who ritualizes everything in his personal life and does his job as a "cleaner." Soon, his ritualized life is disrupted by a weeping and pleading 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman) whose family was just massacred in the neighboring apartment by corrupt, psychotic DEA officer Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Having no sympathy for her abusive family, except for her little brother, Mathilda is taken under the apprenticeship of Leon to exact revenge on the DEA agent.
An artistic action movie is what can be described of "The Professional." It is poetic, graceful, and unrealistic, but only because it has that romantic French touch Besson would be familiar with. All of this while giving the necessary action it needs to be an action movie. Unlike the frantic action of John Woo or Tony Scott movies, writer and director Luc Besson is unafraid to take time for character development and show the love that grows between Leon and Mathilda. This is not to say that the movie is boring in any way since it does open up with a bang and closes with a bang.
There are great performances all around too. In what would seem an act of type-casting for Jean Reno as the gun-toting hero, he adds so much more depth to Leon that makes us see there's a ruined innocence in him. In what is Natalie Portman's first movie, the once then 11-year-old actress pulls off a stunning and intense performance that has secured her place today as an up-and-coming talented actress. Gary Oldman is just devilishly over-the-top as the classical music loving, pill popping, corrupt DEA officer. Like an Al Pacino performance, you can't help but love every minute of it.
The cut scenes, that are now added back in, only perfect the movie to the rating I give it now. They improve the relationship between Leon and Mathilda and shed some more light on Leon's background.
Perhaps it might not be all the action junkies' cup of tea, but it is worth watching to see a budding Natalie Portman in her first movie.