This is a joint review of Luc Besson’s “The Professional” and “Leon”, the latter being the international version that has twenty-four extra minutes not contained in the original American release.
At its heart “Leon” is an adorable love story between a boy (Leon) and a girl (Mathilda) wrapped up in a stylistic action movie. The only problem is that Leon is a middle-aged immigrant hit man and Mathilda is a twelve-year-old girl. Some find that hard to watch. In my humble opinion, however, there is no sexual content in the American version of the film and if the viewer is projecting a sexual overtone onto Leon and Mathilda’s relationship then that is something for the viewer to deal with. I know many would disagree with me on this point, but that’s just how I see it. While the additional footage in this version does contain a scene with Mathilda’s “first time” overtly being discussed, I think it’s important for the viewer to take everything into context.
Leon, played by Jean Reno, is a very talented professional hit man, or a cleaner. He is watched over by Tony, played effortlessly by Danny Aiello, an Italian crime boss who takes out contracts on behalf of Leon. Tony takes care of Leon, gives him advice and “holds” onto his money for him because banks have all that annoying paperwork to deal with. There isn’t too much back-story given here. All we know is that Leon was an immigrant and Tony brought him up on his own from the age of nineteen. Somewhere along the way he became a hit man. Leon lives in an apartment down the hall from Mathilda, played by Natalie Portman, and has a very strict routine of exercise, taking care of his plant, and sleeping sitting up in a chair with his gun by his side. One fateful day brings an end to the lives of Mathilda’s family and forces her to take refuge in Leon’s apartment. Leon resists her presence at first, but reluctantly allows her to stay.
Mathilda later discovers that the man who killed her family is a corrupt DEA officer, Stansfield, played by Gary Oldman. If you’re a fan of Gary Oldman and have yet to see Leon then make this the next film you watch. Oldman gives one of his best performances and is stunningly maniacal. Needless to say Mathilda wants revenge. Not for the loss of her family, who were no better than Stansfield themselves, but for the death of her innocent little brother. Portman give a very emotional and impressive performance as Mathilda, nailing the bravado of a little who girl who has nothing left to lose and concurrently has the fragility of someone who just lost the only thing they held dear in this world. Given that she has just befriended a hit man, she asks him to carry out the hit on Stansfield. When Leon refuses, she requests that he train her as a cleaner. After some convincing he agrees and their relationship blossoms from there.
Here is what I feel the viewer needs to be clear about. Leon is a man whose best friend is a plant. He has no associates other than Tony and no visible joy in his life. He kills people for a living and has done so for many decades. He is also not the brightest crayon in the box. Mathilda is a twelve-year-old girl who has just lost everyone she knows and the only person who showed her any love in her young life. She had been abused by the only man she knew and ridiculed by the women. There is a very important scene that occurs prior to the death of Mathilda’s family. Leon passes Mathilda in the hallway and Mathilda asks, “Is life always this hard, or is it just when you’re a kid?” Leon responds, “Always like this.” Leon and Mathilda know nothing but hardship and it seems like destiny that they meet to help each other realize there is more to life. Mathilda learns that there are men who will treat her with respect and she can be loved, while Leon, in his own words, discovers “a taste for life.” Love comes in all forms and it doesn’t have to be sexual. Leon and Mathilda love each other for giving the other what they were previously missing. Another thing to keep in mind is that Mathilda is twelve. While people may have exposed her to sexual themes and situations in her life, I would hope that she still does not have a firm grasp on what exactly sex or love is. She may know the words, having read them in her sister’s magazines, she also knows the act from walking in on her parents, but she is just imitating what she thinks they are. In the additional footage from "Leon" in which she verbalizes the hope that her first time will be with Leon, while taking into account what she has just been through, I believe she doesn’t understand the true meaning of her words. Complicating the issue further is the fact that Leon also doesn't have the emotional maturity to deal with his feelings, let alone the things Mathilda is saying.
So is it a good film? I think so. It's one of my favorites. The fact that, fourteen years after it’s release, an action movie like Leon has motivated me to write a review this long is reason enough to see it, or revisit it if you haven’t watched it recently. It is so much more than a simple action flick. The film has something for everyone. It is funny, touching, exciting, and original with some of the finest performances by all four lead actors. Personally, “The Professional” was one of the first films that really hooked me into the world of cinema.
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