Léon: The Professional (1994)

Cast

• Jean Reno Léon Montana
• Natalie Portman Mathilda Lando
• Gary Oldman Norman Stansfield
• Danny Aiello Old Tony
• Peter Appel Agent Malky
• Michael Badalucco Mathilda's Father
• Ellen Greene Mathilda's Mother
• Frank Senger Fatman
• Elizabeth Regen Mathilda's Sister
• Carl J. Matusovich Mathilda's Brother
• Eric Challier Bodyguard Chief
• Willi One Blood 1st Stansfield Man
• Don Creech 2nd Stansfield man
• Keith A. Glascoe 3rd Stansfield man (Benny)
• Jernard Burks Stansfield man
• Matt De Matt Stansfield man
• Stuart Rudin Leon's Taxi driver
• Lucius Wyatt Cherokee Tonto
• Maïwenn Blond Babe
• Luc Bernard Mickey

Crew

Director

Luc Besson

Director of Photography

Thierry Arbogast

Editor

Sylvie Landra

Original Music Composer

Éric Serra

Producer

Patrice Ledoux

Screenplay

Luc Besson

Details

Budget

$16,000,000

Revenue

$20,330,788

IMDb

tt0110413

TMDB

101

Keywords

• assassin
• city life
• complex relationship
• corruption
• gangster
• hitman
• hotel room
• immigrant
• loneliness
• loss of loved one
• murder
• neighbor
• neo-noir
• new york city
• police brutality
• revenge
• s.w.a.t.
• tragic love
• training

Videos

• Official Clip - Charades Clip
• 30 Year Anniversary 4K Restoration - Official Trailer Trailer
• Official Trailer Trailer
• Trailer Trailer

Reviews

Niemand · 2023-08-06

This films stars a 12-year old Natalie Portman as Mathilda, a girl living with her abusive stepfather, a step-sister, mother, and four-year old brother. She doesn’t care for any of these people except her brother. One day, she returns home from getting the groceries to find corrupt DEA agents have killed her entire family. Key amongst those agents is Stansfield, played by Gary Oldman. Seeking refuge in the flat of a neighbour she had befriended earlier, Léon (Jean Reno), she learns that he is a hitman. She makes a deal with him: she will look after the flat by doing the domestic chores if he will teach her how to get revenge on the men who killed her brother. Strange though the synopsis may be, the relationship between Léon and Mathilda is kept innocent, and the scenes between the two are believable. Mathilda’s sexual awareness is at a nascent stage and her exposure to the sordid side of life with her recently deceased family (her step-father worked for drug-dealers) means she is perhaps not as innocent as most 12-year old girls; however, Léon is unwilling to take advantage of the situation. This means the story can focus on the platonic relationship between the two, the bond that develops between them, and how each affects the other’s life. Although it may seem a little far-fetched that a young girl would accompany a hitman during his work, Léon ensures that her assistance is required only on fairly routine hits that follow a well-defined pattern. For the more complex hits he leaves her behind. There is a thread of humour running through the film, but you must bear in mind the film is framed in the world of corruption and greed and all is not sweet and light, and graphic violence is depicted. Jean Reno is wonderful as the extremely good but placid hitman, whose whole outlook on life is changed by the young Mathilda, played wonderfully by Natalie Portman in her first film. I’ve not read it, but I understand that Eppie has a similar effect on Silas Marner, as described in the book of the same name. I found Gary Oldman’s performance histrionic, the only let-down in the film, albeit not something that spoilt the film as a whole. Recommended.

rozmiarek · ★ 10 · 2021-09-04

HOW TO MAKE A FEMALE ASSASSIN. TRAUMA, TRAINING THEN GET HER EXTRA ANGRY. NATILIE PORTMANS FIRST ASSASSIN ROLE AND HOPEFULLY NOT HER LAST. WE NEED A PART 2 TO THIS MOVIE.

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