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Léon: The Professional
(1994)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jean Reno | ... | ||
| Gary Oldman | ... | ||
| Natalie Portman | ... | ||
| Danny Aiello | ... | ||
| Peter Appel | ... | ||
 |
Willi One Blood | ... |
1St Stansfield Man
(as Willie One Blood)
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| Don Creech | ... | ||
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Keith A. Glascoe | ... | |
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Randolph Scott | ... | |
| Michael Badalucco | ... | ||
| Ellen Greene | ... | ||
| Elizabeth Regen | ... | ||
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Carl J. Matusovich | ... | |
| Frank Senger | ... | ||
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Lucius Wyatt Cherokee | ... |
Tonto
(as Lucius Wyatt 'Cherokee')
|
Edit
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Mathilda, a twelve-year old New York girl, is living an undesirable life among her half-family. Her father stores drugs for two-faced cop Norman Stansfield. Only her little brother keeps Mathilda from breaking apart. One day, Stansfield and his team take cruel revenge on her father for stretching the drugs a little, thus killing the whole family. Only Mathilda, who was out shopping, survives by finding shelter in Léon's apartment in the moment of highest need. Soon, she finds out about the strange neighbour's unusual profession - killing - and desperately seeks his help in taking revenge for her little brother. Léon, who is completely unexperienced in fatherly tasks, and in friendships, does his best to keep Mathilda out of trouble - unsuccessfully. Now, the conflict between a killer, who slowly discovers his abilities to live, to feel, to love and a corrupt police officer, who does anything in his might to get rid of an eye witness, arises to unmeasurable proportions - all for the ... Written by Julian Reischl <julianreischl@mac.com>
Taglines:
If you want a job done well hire a professional. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for scenes of strong graphic violence, and for language | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
FranceLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
18 November 1994 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Professional See more »Box Office
Budget:
FRF 115,000,000 (estimated)Gross:
JPY 112,586,900 (Japan) (3 January 1997)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (uncut) | (International) | (TV)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Tony: Allora, come stai, Leone?
Léon: Bene.
[Tony puts out his cigarette in an ashtray]
Tony: OK. OK. Let's talk business.
See more »
from It's Always Fair Weather
Music by André Previn
Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Performed by Gene Kelly (uncredited)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Keith A. Glascoe, who played the enormous Benny, or 3rd Stansfield Man, later became a member of the New York Fire Department, Ladder Company 21 in Hells Kitchen. Courageously he died in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. See more »Goofs
Léon assembles the rifle for Mathilda's target practice but neither he nor Mathilda ever adjust the scope for distance, position, weather, or wind. It made no sense for her to sight her target through it and hit it from several hundred yards away. See 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.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Under the "SPECIAL THANKS" heading you will find: Chevalier KAMEN (Prince of the Mash Potatoes) Byblos Bill (King of Saint Tropez) Princess Trudy (Queen of Hearts) See more »Soundtracks
"I Like Myself"from It's Always Fair Weather
Music by André Previn
Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Performed by Gene Kelly (uncredited)
See more »
An interview with Anne Parillaud, in the Evening Standard, 24.8.90, it was said that the message of Nikita is not one of violence but the idea is that people who are full of despair and missing love are not alone.
This idea continues in Léon. Léon was Besson's first foray into international film production. The similarities, or parallels, between Nikita and Léon are undoubted. Both the central protagonists attempt to come to terms with their dysfunctionality, to society, against a background of violence, which they both continue to act upon as the agent of someone else. There is no clean difference (we may also include Le Dernier Combat for comparison.) The only difference is gender.
I always found that until obtaining the "Version Integral" there was a character hole in the plot. The original cut released for US audiences was felt, by Besson, had an "offending" scene cut which ruined later scenes. The American test audiences hated it, seeing it as perverse and paedophiliac. The film was still panned by US critics as quasi-child pornography on general release. What it to be understood about this film, and this is what infuriated Besson, is that the film is about pure love. Not sex, which is all the Americans, could see.
And so we have ascertained that the characters in Besson's films are, simply, great. Then there is the action which is all the grace and style of Nikita. Typical of Besson's style with fast action-shooting and violent characterisation. This has to be one of Jean Reno's and by far Natalie Portman's best screen performance. To me, Gary Oldman plays his part to the tee, said by some magazines to be the best screen bad guy - it is one of his best performances.
Stylisation and excess are hallmarks of Besson's work. Characters are larger than life. Décors are in excess of realism. Besson's characters lack psychological depth. "The sumptuous and the ornate cohabit with the violent or the vulgar." Besson's use of excess is also extremely playful mixing violence with humour. Besson's work appeals to the tastes of popular culture and may not please that of the elite - arguably a reason for the rejection of his work by many intellectual film journals.
I have yet to hear of a person putting a bad word against this film. There is nothing I can personally fault so I give this film 10/10, a score only two other somewhat different films hold in my IMDb list of 345 films - "The Wizard of Oz" and "La Cité des Enfants perdu". If you like French Cinema or consider yourself a cinephile you must see the latter.