IMDb > Léon (1994)
Léon
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips
Videos (see all 7)
Léon (1994) -- Professional assassin Leon reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and teaches her his trade.
Léon (1994) -- Professional assassin Leon reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and teaches her his trade.
Léon (1994) -- Professional assassin Leon reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and teaches her his trade.
Léon (1994) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Luc Besson (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Professional on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 November 1994 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
If you want a job done well hire a professional. more
Plot:
Professional assassin Leon reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and teaches her his trade. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
2 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(73 articles)
Armored Movie Clip Get The Kid
 (From ShockYa. 6 December 2009, 11:12 PM, PST)

Armored Movie Clip Truck Guards Under Attack
 (From ShockYa. 5 December 2009, 11:19 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Gripping story with well-crafted characters more (647 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jean Reno ... Léon

Gary Oldman ... Stansfield

Natalie Portman ... Mathilda

Danny Aiello ... Tony

Peter Appel ... Malky
Willi One Blood ... 1st Stansfield man
Don Creech ... 2nd Stansfield man
Keith A. Glascoe ... 3rd Stansfield man (Benny)
Randolph Scott ... 4th Stansfield man

Michael Badalucco ... Mathilda's Father
Ellen Greene ... Mathilda's Mother

Elizabeth Regen ... Mathilda's Sister
Carl J. Matusovich ... Mathilda's Brother

Frank Senger ... Fatman
Lucius Wyatt Cherokee ... Tonto (as Lucius Wyatt 'Cherokee')
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Léon (UK)
Leon: The Professional (USA) (longer version)
The Professional (USA)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for scenes of strong graphic violence, and for language.
Runtime:
110 min | France:136 min (uncut version) | 133 min (International version) | Turkey:100 min (TV version)
Country:
Language:
Colour:
Colour (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)
Certification:
South Korea:18 (original rating) | Brazil:14 | Iceland:16 | Australia:M (tv rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | Italy:T | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) (2002) | South Korea:18 (director's cut) | UK:15 (DVD re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:18 | France:-12 (original version) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB (director's cut) | Israel:PG | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (original rating) | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Canada:16+ (Quebec)
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During the filming involving all of the police cars on the street, a man ran from a store he had just robbed. When he encountered the movie set by accident, he saw all of the "police" and gave himself up to a bunch of uniformed extras. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During Malthilda's first "hit" with Leon, she placed her handbag on the drug-mill table. Later the handbag was still on the table when she poured some fuel on the drug. But after she lit it up, the handbag was missing. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Tony: Allora, come stai, Leone?
Léon: Bene.
[Tony puts out his cigarette in an ashtray]
Tony: OK. OK. Let's talk business.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Red Dead Revolver (2004) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Venus As A Boy more

FAQ

What are the tablets which Stansfield takes twice during the course of the film?
What special features are on the DVD?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
268 out of 295 people found the following comment useful.
Gripping story with well-crafted characters, 16 May 1999
10/10
Author: Jaime Borgstrom from Bayonne, New Jersey

Luc Besson's movie Léon (The Professional) gives us an intense story which is maximized in potential by the casting of the movie done by Todd Thaler. Every aspect of the movie delivers to the audience and makes an impressive overall package. 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. His secluded world is shattered by the young girl named Mathilda who lives on the same floor as he does in an apartment building. 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. Her ability to relate to others with body movement and facial gestures is matched by few, she really brings raw emotion and believability to a difficult role. Mathilda and Léon are unexpectedly thrown together, but learn to value life from their chance encounter, and how valuable a friendship can be.

Jean Reno as Léon gives us a solemn and calculated character who sets all of his energy on his assignments until her is given something else to care about. Mathilda gives him the daughter that he never had, while Léon serves as a father and friend to her. Gary Oldman, as the corrupt DEA Agent Norman Stansfield, offers the viewers an amazingly wired and electrical performance which pushes the envelope. He moves the story along by his actions. Oldman offers us a memorable portrait of a sadistically obsessed man who stops short of nothing to get what he wants.

The Professional is what movie-making is all about. Without the overuse of special effects, a large shooting location, or a commercially star studded cast, we are given all that could possibly be asked for in a movie. Portman, Oldman, and Reno, along with Danny Aiello as the hit-contractor Tony remind us that there is no substitute for great acting. There are elements of comedy, drama, and action, and great original music by Eric Serra adds to the energy the film already encapsulates. The most impressive thing about the movie is its story which is basic but is maximized by all the other elements which go into the making of the movie. Simply put, an intense and impressive movie.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (647 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Léon (1994)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Grand Theft Auto calebcumberland
This is not that good! ufodoubleg
8.6... WTF!!! snow_crash-3
Is there any meaning behind Mathilda's love for Transformers? Shinobi_Cloud
Leon BLURAY Review US VERSION!!!!! AWESOMNE jiggledan6-1
Awesome movie but too many unanswered questions bluntman-9
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Pulp Fiction Scarface The Departed Lucky Number Slevin A History of Violence
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Crime section
IMDb France section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.