Léon

Plot synopsis:
Léon (Jean Reno) is a hitman (or "cleaner" as he would rather be known) living a solitary life in New York City's Little Italy. Most of his work comes from a mafioso named Tony (Danny Aiello), who operates from the "Supreme Macaroni Company" retail store. Léon spends his idle time engaging in calisthenics, nurturing a houseplant that early on he describes as his "best friend", and (in one scene) watching old Gene Kelly musicals.Léon is highly motivated and efficient. He kills plenty of bodyguards (Ed Ventresca) so that a fat guy called Fatman (Frank Senger) receives a phonecall threatening him. A dumb blonde (Ouin-Ouin) walks away non-noncommittally and says she will call him later, not wanting to get involved in the matter.On a particular day on his way home, he sees Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman), a twelve-year-old girl with a black eye and smoking a cigarette, living with her dysfunctional family in an apartment down the hallway. Mathilda's father (Michael Badalucco) attracts the ire of corrupt DEA agents, who have been paying him to store cocaine in his residence, after they discover that he has been stealing some of the drugs for himself. A cadre of DEA agents storm the building, led by a ragged and drug-addicted Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman). Stansfield shoots Mathilda's entire family with a shotgun; the whore-looking mother (Ellen Greene), the aerobic-obsessed elder sister (Elizabeth Regen) and the friendly little brother (Carl J. Matusovich)- missing Mathilda only because she is out shopping when they arrive. An elderly lady (Jessie Keosian) comes back inquiring what the rackas is about, and Stansfield shoots the glass behind her, but considers her harmless so he lets her be, just barking at her "go back inside".When Mathilda returns with the groceries she was sent to buy and notices the carnage, she calmly continues down the hallway past the open door of her family's apartment, and receives sanctuary from a reluctant Léon. One of the agents () looks at Mathilda, quizzingly, as she has to insistently ring the bell on and on before Léon lets her in. Stansfield realises that there's a little girl missing because of a family photograph he's found. When the news reaches the door guard, he approaches Léon's apartment, wondering whether the girl who was accepted there was the missing girl. Léon prepares himself to shoot him, watching through a hidden peephole, but at that moment, Mathilda turns on the TV with some  Transformers  cartoons, which convinces the guard that he saw another girl who had nothing to do with the situation.León offers some consolation to Mathilda, making her smile when he argues than pigs smell well and are better than many people, and make-pretends that the puppet pig he's using is talking to her. Mathilda, who soon discovers that Léon is a hitman, begs him to become her caretaker, and to teach her his skills as a "cleaner": she wants to avenge the murder of her four-year-old brother, the only member of her family that she actually loved. In return, she offers herself as a maid and teacher, remedying Léon's illiteracy. Mathilda says that he could have let her to die outside that door, but as he opened it, now he's responsible for her well-being. At first, Léon refuses point blank: being a "cleaner" is not a job for girls, and then he alleges that she's not made for that. To answer to that, Mathilda shoots some pigeons with one of the guns Léon is cleaning. Léon hesitantly accepts her offer and the two begin working together, slowly building an emotional attachment, with Léon becoming a friend and father figure.They leave Léon's apartment, and Léon begins to settle some rules. Mathilda carries León's plant, accepting everything, and convinces the hotel clerk (George Martin) that she's preparing for an audition, and that she won't practice after 10. When the hotel clerk asks Léon to fill up the registration form, Mathilda jumps right in and says "You know how much I love registering. Can I do it, daddy?" Léon breaths, and apprecciates that Mathilda is resourceful. The hotel clerk congratulates Léon because he's got a good daughter, but he's got a 17-year-old who can't do anything. León leaves his plant at reception. He checks everything in the room, the exits, the windows, while Mathilda fills up the form. As they work together, Mathilda admits to Léon several times that she is falling in love with him, in spite of him making her drink a glass of milk every day.Tony has been keeping Léon's money, instead of it being put into a bank. As Léon was illiterate, he didn't want to have to deal with it. Léon asks if he could give it to somebody; Tony tells him that he's like a bank, only that there's no paperwork involved, but that he's got all the accountancy in his mind, and that is security enough. Tony wants Léon to renew work, as training won't earn him any money. Léon prevents Mathilda from flirting with a guy (Michael Mundra), a cute teenage boy a little older than herself - she replies that they were only sharing a cigarette - to which Léon answers that he wants her to quit smoking. Léon adds that she should stay away from him, as he looks like a weirdo. Léon walks to work. Mathilda tells the hotel clerk that she's fed up of practicing her instrument and that Léon is not her father, but her lover. Mathilda walks back to her old flat. She slips past a police guard and picks up a teddy bear and a stack of bills hidden under a loose floor plank. She has to hide, because the FBI is questioning Stansfield, who is being a jackass about the people he killed in the line of duty. He shouts to the FBI guy that kids should be at school, and also shouts his office number.Mathilda follows Stansfield by taxi to the police station. Mathilda is watching cartoon  Transformers  again when Léon arrives with blood dripping down an arm and a pink dress for her. The hotel clerk arrives with two men, and throws Leon and Mathilda out. In another hotel, Léon takes a shower and stitches a wound in the chest, where he's been hurt. Mathilda wants to pay Léon to kill her brother's killers, but Léon doesn't want to. He tells her that life changes after the first time you kill somebody. She wants to play Russian roulette with him. She threatens him with killing herself - and at the last second he pushes the pistol away. Mathilda and Léon go talk with Tony.As Mathilda increases her confidence and experience, she locates Stansfield, follows him to his office in the DEA building. She attempts to kill him, only to be ambushed by Stansfield in a bathroom. Léon finds a note she left him declaring her intentions and rushes to the federal building. He rescues her, killing two of Stansfield's men in the process.Stansfield is enraged that the "Italian hitman" has gone rogue and is killing his men. He confronts Tony and threatens him, eventually beating him into surrendering Léon's whereabouts. Later, as Mathilda returns home from grocery shopping, an NYPD ESU team, sent by Stansfield, takes her hostage and attempts to infiltrate Léon's apartment. Léon ambushes the ESU team and takes one of their members hostage, rapidly bartering him for Mathilda's freedom. As they slink back into the apartment, Léon creates a quick escape for Matilda as he reassures her and tells her that he loves her moments before they come for him.In the chaos that follows, Léon sneaks out of the apartment building disguised as a wounded ESU officer, almost unnoticed except for Stansfield. Stansfield follows Léon into the hotel lobby and shoots him from behind. Looming over the dying Léon, Stansfield jeers him haughtily. However just before he gives out, Léon places an object in Stansfield's hands, which he explains is "from Mathilda". Opening his hands, Stansfield recognizes it as grenade pin. He rips open Léon's vest to discover several grenades on his chest. Stansfield lets out a brief "Oh, shit" before a massive explosion destroys the hotel lobby.Mathilda heads to Tony's place as she was instructed to do by Léon. Tony will not give Mathilda more than a few dollars of the fortune Léon had amassed, which was being held by Tony. His reasoning is that she is not old enough to receive the large amount of money and that school should be her priority until she's older. When Mathilda asks Tony to give her a 'job', and insists that she can 'clean' as Léon had, Tony sternly informs her that he 'ain't got no work for a 12-year-old kid!' Having nowhere else to go, she is then seen going to Roosevelt Island using the Roosevelt Island Tramway. The next day, she returns to school in NJ. Seemingly readmitted to the school, Mathilda walks into a field in front of it with Léon's houseplant in hand, she digs a hole and plants the houseplant in the grounds of the school, as she had told Léon he should, "to give it roots."

Tags: comedy, suspenseful, neo noir, murder, allegory, cult, violence, dramatic, flashback, psychedelic, humor, action, romantic, tragedy, revenge, sentimental

Review:
When she turns to him for help, he learns about living a normal life, even if the circumstances which unite them are far from normal.The performance delivered by then twelve-year old Natalie Portman as Mathilda is nothing short of brilliant.
So begins one of the stranger relationships in silver screen history, but one of the most memorable.On the face of it, a love story between a twelve year old girl and a hairy French hitman would raise a few eyebrows among more conservative movie-goers, but director Luc Besson handles it so beautifully, it seems like the most natural thing on earth.
The iconic image of this tiny, grubby little girl clutching Leon's beloved plant and trotting to keep up with her lanky hero's giant strides is one that will live long in the memory.Aiello and Oldman (at his sadistic, malevolent best) provide predictably excellent support, there is a wonderfully suspenseful yet satisfying ending - heck, there's even a decent Sting song playing over the credits - for this (if nothing else) it would be remiss of me to give Leon anything other than top marks.10/10.
And don't be - Leon is less violent than many action movies and the unusual relationship between the main characters is handled mostly with genuine feeling and tact..
Léon, however, flips this cliché on its end, as the hit-man is the kind-hearted protagonist who learns how to love, thanks to a little girl who shows up on his doorstep.Léon begins in a restaurant, with the assassin himself (Jean Reno) taking a contract from his boss Tony (Danny Aiello) to kill a man who's moving in on Tony's territory.
That is, until he is forced to take custody of a twelve-year-old girl (Natalie Portman) whose entire family was cruelly massacred by a corrupt DEA agent (Gary Oldman).
Despite all this, Léon also has time to throw in some slower scenes that develop Leon's and Mathilda's characters, expanding on their growing relationship and partnership.Jean Reno does a very good job as Leon, portraying him both as an effective and frightening killing machine, and as a loving and caring father figure.
Reno allows the audience to both sympathize with this character and respect him, an extremely challenging feat.Natalie Portman's breakout role as Mathilda is one of the greatest acted child roles in a film, period.
Make no mistake, Mathilda is the true star of this film, and Portman completely shines in the role.In comparison to Jean Reno's fairly subdued performance as Leon, apparently Luc Besson wanted a more exciting and over-the-top antagonist for the film: enter Gary Oldman.
The only nitpick I have with Stansfield is his screen time is fairly small compared with Leon and Mathilda; nevertheless he completely steals the show when he does appear.The plot of Léon is fairly straightforward compared to most action flicks, as there are no particular plot twists or double crossings.
A thrilling crime film, in deep touch and care with the characters- Besson and Portman's best work to date.
It's not a long movie, though it gives a good many details in its story.Jean Reno has his star-making turn (at least for what he's worth) in Leon- he's ruthless contract killer who will kill just about anyone for the right price.
The next time I saw the movie was at home on TIVO, in December 2001 and I fell in love with the film all over again.Firstly, the theme of the movie - Isolation and Redemption - The characters Leon and Mathilda had no one who loved them in this world and were very much alone (mathilda did have her 4 year old brother but that was all she had)The characters were dealing with a similar lonlieness even thought heir worlds were very different.Secondly, the scripting in the film really hit me.
How could anyone expect a movie that has a hitman who protects a twelve year old girl who falls in love with him and wants to be trained as an assassin to be a great film?
The action was thrilling and I always wanted to be like Leon, a stone cold bad ass with a heart.About 20 years after I first saw The Professional I watched it again and it was awesome.
From its explosive start to its brilliant ending, no any segments gets boring at any time, everything is relevant and you just want more!The acting by the magical Trio Jean Reno-Nathalie Portman-Gary Oldman just smokes!
Everyone likes a hero and most people like a story where two people (usually of opposite genders) connect in certain times of hardship amidst a locale of no hope  at its core, Léon could be seen as exactly this.The film is a tale of revenge, a love story and a crime drama complete with hit men, criminals, bent police men and innocent young girls caught up in the middle.
The film presents to us how one event or one act of greed can act as a catalyst for bigger and nastier things, on a much larger scale than first intended and the film also brings a certain humane quality to worn out clichés and typical characters for the genre; like Tarantino and the Coen brothers at the height of their quality as seen in Pulp Fiction and Fargo respectively, this is Luc Besson stripping down the screen and delivering on a simplistic but immensely satisfying level.The ingredients work in Léon.
The story is about the meticulous hit-man and determined loner Leon (an amazing Jean Reno) and the precocious 12-year-old Mathilda (the equally amazing Natalie Portman) who crashes his party.
You root for these two oddballs; they flesh out a unique love story.Meanwhile, Leon and Mathilda are up against one of the stranger villains of the 90s, the malicious D.E.A. agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman: he scores again).
Besson keeps the tension high for much of the film, letting go only long enough for the occasional scene where Leon and Mathilda have some time alone.
The International Cut includes almost 30 extra minutes of scenes that are critically important to Leon and Mathilda's character development, the context of their relationship, and the overall atmosphere of the film.
It is easy to praise the father-daughter relationship that Leon (Jean Reno) and Mathilda (Natalie Portman) display in this dark and compelling film, but I feel that would be superficial.The relationship appeared to be much deeper - almost sexual - as the two tried to find some meaning in their lives.Leon was just slouching through life doing his job and not caring about much else.
The unlikely formation of a link between the two latter characters is the heart of the movie, where the young girl gives Leon a taste of life.Leon is an exceptional film : combining suspense and drama, subtleness and brilliance, Luc Besson signs a masterful jewel of cinematography..
It looked so freaking real and deep that you are taken away in the skin of the characters.The cast & acting was perfect: Luc Besson wrote the script with Jean Reno as Léon in mind and no one else.
And every time I have re-watch it, it will seem like I am watching it for the first time and the anticipation is still there, that's how good the movie is for me.I am excited as after so many yrs, this movie is still talked about.The story plot is interesting to watch as it unfolds showing how Leon does his work professionally without having to worry about other things and later how his life is changed by Mathilda.The directing is superb by Luc Besson and the music by Eric Serra sets the mood for each scene, intensifying the story.Jean Reno's role as Leon is also superb as it brings out the character of Leon.
Jean Reno is a great actor and he is believable in the roles he plays, he can be funny as in comedies (Just visiting) but serious/cool in others (Leon/Ronin/La grand Bleu).Natalie Portman is a natural actor who holds well in the role of Mathilda..
But for everything director Luc Besson gets right with this movie he seems to get something else quite terribly wrong.Let's start with the positive: Natalie Portman as Mathilda is a revelation here.
This is ALSO HIS BEST FILM.Now when the 3 actors above all give their best, enough is said.Full Plot: Leone "Léon" Montana (Jean Reno) is a hit-man (or "cleaner," as he refers to himself) living a solitary life in New York City's Little Italy.
Léon spends his idle time engaging in calisthenics, nurturing a houseplant that early on he describes as his "best friend,"[3] and (in one scene) watching old Gene Kelly musicals.On a particular day, he meets Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman), a twelve-year-old girl with a black eye and smoking a cigarette, living with her dysfunctional family in an apartment down the hallway.
This is not only a stunning performance from a 12 year old girl, this is even not only a great performance from an accomplished actress, it is absolutely Oscar material and, judging from her next projects, easily her best role to date.It is no coincidence that Luc Besson, Eric Serra and Jean Reno are French.
With regards to other comments on the the 'sexual' nature of Leon and Mathilda's relationship, I'd like to think it was innocent, pure love and a lack of a decent father figure in her life, but I may change my mind when I see the uncut version!.
This is definetly in my top 5 favourite Gary Oldman films.I found the love bit (what Mathilde feels for Leon) a bit dodgy but hey the girl is 12- her emotions were running wild!
The soundtrack also does very well in enhancing the mood of each scene, and Besson's direction is faultless.There is also a gripping story with well crafted characters particularly Mathilda and Jean Reno's character Leon, a cracking script and crisp pacing and while there are some over-the-top and intense moments particularly with Stansfield and the beginning, particularly as the chemistry between Mathilda and Leon expands there are some poignant ones too.The acting is excellent.
This film is the story of a very smart and calculating professional killer named Leon (Jean Reno) who ends up with a burden in his arms, a twelve year old girl named Matilda (Natalie Portman).
Natalie Portman is a 12 year old precocious child who has an immature love for Jean Reno who happens to be a Hit-man.
An immigrant hit-man (Reno) becomes responsible for, and eventually falls in love with a young girl, Mathilda (played marvelously by Natalie Portman) whose family was murdered by a dirty DEA agent (the always superb Gary Oldman) and his team.
Luc Besson's "Leon" AKA "The Professional" ranks in my top ten action films of all time, along with his "La Femme Nikita".
Sympathy for Nikita develops because of her tragic struggle against her own history and psychology, while Leon's latent sense of justice, brought on by his innocent love for a 12 year old girl, makes this professional hit man truly heroic.
As you get more and more into the plot you start feeling all the emotions that impregnate the atmosphere.The innocence of Leon, the tension between him and Mathilda, the noxious generosity of Tony and the psycho behavior of Stan.You really want to watch this movie, as not everyday they make an action film as superb as Leon.M..
The love story involves Mathilda (Natalie Portman) and Leon (Jean Reno).
At times his relationship with Natalie Portman's character was hard to watch but apart from that good movie.
One of the greatest films of the 90s, Léon (also known as Léon: The Professional) is a downright gripping, thoroughly entertaining & wholly satisfying action thriller that's intense right off the bat, packs an interesting set of characters, and benefits immensely from explosive performances from its terrific ensemble.The story of Léon follows a professional hitman who reluctantly takes a 12-year old girl under his wing after her entire family is wiped out by a corrupt DEA agent.
The clever placements, smooth manoeuvring & kinetic operation of the camera, in addition to its slick editing & pulsating score, makes the overall experience all the more thrilling.Coming to the performances, Léon features an excellent cast in Jean Reno, Gary Oldman & Natalie Portman.
This film follows Leon (played by Jean Reno), an Italian-born immigrant and professional hit-man working under mobster Tony (played by Danny Aiello), who meets Mathilda (played by Natalie Portman), a lonely 12-year old girl living under the harsh conditions of her abusive father (played by Michael Badalucco), her snappy mother, her equally older sister, and her younger brother who seems to be only pleasant seed in the family.
Portman is simply miraculous in her first film role as Matilda, a young girl whose entire family is murdered by psychotic DEA agent Norman Stansfield (Oldman).
the greatest strength in this movie is the two lead characters named Leon played by Jean Reno and Matilda played Natalie Portman.
i can't really say more when it has already been said, it is a very good movie, Luc Besson direction is fantastic, the acting is good, both the leads are very good probably my favorite performances they have given, the action scenes are well shot, not that shaky cam nonsense..
She seeks revenge on his little brother's murderers.Director Luc Besson brings his often collaborator Jean Reno to America and makes a nice discovery with a young Natalie Portman.
After seen it like 10 times i realize that Gary Oldman is a genius, Jean Reno's role has an unique personality and the hole movie is just amazing.
From Amazon.co.uk Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) made his American directorial debut with this stylised thriller about a French hit man (Jean Reno) who takes in an American girl (Natalie Portman) being pursued by a corrupt killer cop (Gary Oldman).
It stars Jean Reno as the titular mob hit-man; Gary Oldman as corrupt DEA agent Stansfield; a young Natalie Portman, in her feature film debut, as Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl who is taken in by the hit-man after her family is murdered; and Danny Aiello as Tony, the mobster who gives the hit-man his assignments..
This is one of my all time favourite films, its a great story of a hired assassin in New York who meets a young girl played by a young Natalie Portman (the daughter of a neighbour) who soon becomes an orphan because of the ruthless corrupt and crazy DEA Police officer played by the fantastic Gary Oldman, who shows one of his best performances in this movie.Its packed full of action including an explosive finale, but its just not an action thriller, its a very powerful and moving story.I have often found it hard to describe the relationship between the "cleaner" played by Reno and Portman's character.
Jean Reno gives a heartwarming performance as a sad and lonely hit-man or "cleaner" named Leon who lives in a secluded world in a apartment complex and Natalie Portman's character Mathilda is the one that shatters Leon's secluded world.For this being her first feature film, Natalie Portman gives an amazing and astonishing performance as a troubled little girl with a desire for revenge.
The unique love story and father-daughter type relationship between Leon and Mathilda is handled beautifully by director Luc Besson.
This movie is the perfect action with a unique love story and unforgettable characters and emotionally charged scenes!
6 - A very satisfying ending; 7 - Great camera shots by director Luc Besson, who is known for some stylish movie-making.The extreme BAD: 1 - Not only does nice-guy Leon teach Mathilda how to shoot people but....
Jean Reno nailed his portrayal as Leon; a professional hit-man whose relationship (not sexual, mind you) with a young girl forces him to re-examine his inner youth/lost child that his harsh life had robbed him of all those years ago..Gary Oldman was a little over-the-top drama king as the dirty cop villain, but I don't think anyone could have done it better, especially when his character took actions under the influence of drugs.I believe this was Natalie Portman's theatrical debut, and boy was she convincing!
Amazingly enough The Professional was the best work done by these four thespians: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello AND Gary Oldman.
Leon: The Professional (1994) - Natalie Portman is Smoking at Age 12 in this Movie, and Jean Reno Drinks Too Much Milk!.
Written and directed by French filmmaker Luc Besson, "Leon: The Professional" is thrilling hit-man movie on the outside, but a touching friendship story on the inside.
The movie begins with Leon, portrayed by Jean Reno, a hit-man who takes in a 12-year-old girl named Mathilda, portrayed by a young Natalie Portman in her feature film debut, whose family has been murdered by a corrupt DEA agent, portrayed by Gary Oldman.
After her family is killed by the corrupt Government Official Stansfield (Gary Oldman) the young Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is befriended by Leon.
Apart from his awesome grip on violence,French director Luc Besson has given all possible chances to his actors to display richness of human emotions.Leon is also the best testimony to the fact that tough guys are innocent souls at heart.This is true in the case of Leon as violence may be his profession but feelings,plants and people are his real interests.Jean Reno is excellent as professional killer Leon who sacrifices his life for saving Mathilda,a role played by Nathalie Portman.She looks great as a street smart,slick young girl who decides to make violence her way of life after her family is ruthlessly killed by Norman Stansfield,a character played by British actor Gary Oldman.
Jean Reno plays a character named Léon who has learned to repress his emotions in order to perform his job as a "cleaner", or hit-man.
Jean Reno plays a character named Léon who has learned to repress his emotions in order to perform his job as a "cleaner", or hit-man.
However, not many assassins (or "cleaners") come in the shape of 12-year-old girls.As Mathilda and her eponymous mentor, Natalie Portman and Jean Reno give complex, sympathetic performances - at least when ranged against Gary Oldman's psycho cop.