Leon : The Professional

Dean-O is out of commission right now and he asked me if I had reviewed this brilliant film. Since I haven't and I have sympathy for him, and his snout, I will oblige him. I think this is a superb story, plus it gave us Natalie Portman in a first timer role most would dream of. Thing is, she was only 12, within a few scenes we stop even seeing that young kid. We just get enthralled in those powerful scenes and wait to see what is next. Leon (pronounced Lee-own) is played by one of only 2 good French actors to make it here in the USA, and it's not the guy from Bad Boys. It is Jean Reno who is phenomenal in every aspect of the word. He is a professional assassin who is excellent at what he does, hence, he is till breathing. When Mathilda's (Portman) entire family is slaughtered by a dirty cop named Stansfield (Gary Oldman) she gets lucky in one of the longest most intense scenes of all time. She was at the store when they are killed, so she walks past her apartment to her neighbor's place and quietly knocks on the door, as if she lives there. Leon does not want to answer the door, but he weighs the lesser of two evils with this one. Let in an innocent 12 year old, or don't and therefore have dirty cops probing his life later and figuring out what he does. After letting the girl in and giving her refuge, they unintentionally become a family. She is annoying to him, but he is accidentally a father figure to her. He can't keep his profession a secret for long, so he teaches her the way of the gun. In return she must teach him to read. Fair trade. Me and A-Bomb taught Dean-O how to shoot and reload a couple weeks ago, and I still can't read. (This very post is being ghost written). Mathilda wants revenge on Stansfield, but she needs help. At the same time Stansfield knows he messed up. He left a witness. Unacceptable. He knows who she is and he has a good idea where to find her. He is on a new mission to get her and Leon, but Leon has learned to love. Mathilda taught him to care for a plant, and he doesn't mind her so much anymore either. Their relationship is something special. He wants to help her with her revenge thing, but at the same time, her safety is priority 1. What a brilliant film about loss, redemption and sacrifice. One of Oldman's best performances, and an absolute perfect ending.

NBM rates Leon : The Professional - Phenomenal


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