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The Professional (1994)
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Movie Review by Thom
April 15th, 2008
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Strange Bedfellows
Favorite Movie Quote: "I don't give a sh*t about sleeping, Leon. I want love, or death. That's it."
While the American version left some details to the imagination, the European-released Leon did not. Clearly a Lolita-based/inspired tale about love in one of its more controversial forms, Leon features the title character (Jean Reno in the role that introduced him to the U.S.) as an Italian hitman in New York City with only one connection to the world (not counting his plant upon which he dotes), 'friend' and contract agent Tony (Danny Aiello). Aside from his profession, Leon's life is simple - boring - until he meets Mathilda (Natalie Portman in the role that made her as an actress) who, like him, is disenfranchised, depressed, and alone and who's quickly orphaned when rogue DEA agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman, brilliant as always) and his team assassinate Mathilda's father, mother, sister, and baby brother. With nowhere else to go, Mathilda begs Leon to take her in and, upon learning what he does for a living, to teach her his craft.
The film is, in turn, sweet, tender, funny, cool, awkward, and heartbreaking. The relationship between Leon and Mathilda evolves naturally and beautifully, both desperately lost in life before they find each other. Though our puritanical prudishness in the states doesn't allow for understanding, the film exhibits how two people so completely different can be bound together if only for their love of one another.
Like anything that Luc Besson does, Leon's chief technical achievement is its brilliant editing, and there's no flaw otherwise to be seen. Portman and Reno have never been as good as they are here and Besson has not done more meaningful work before or since; Oldman delivers yet another entertaining villain.
Leon: The Professional, I expect, is a film loathed by uptight, in-denial types that refuse to see past its controversial subject matter. However, the film somehow makes the unthinkable accessible and understandable, a task that deserves more than a little credit.
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 | Xavier
Apr 16, 2008 1:11 PM
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For some reason this film always stealthily dissappears from my head when people ask me what my favourite films are. This is awesome. Portmans best film by FAR.
And, you what? The American version? Apart from the title what was different? |
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Apr 16, 2008 2:15 PM
Apr 17, 2008 12:52 PM
Do you guys cut all the important things out of the best (Euro) films?
Apr 17, 2008 1:32 PM