Leon: The Professional (1994)

User Review

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  Barneyonmovies

  9 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: Leon is the infamous English-language debut of the great Luc Besson, and it of course follows the story of a quiet and meticulous French hitman in New York who inadvertantly ends up caring for his neighbour - a troubled young girl Mathilda whose entire family is killed - who Leon promptly begins to train as his partner in crime. It's a ridiculous premise, but it's compelling - liberating, even - because at its core it's really about two victims at the bottom of society finding a kindred spirit and kicking some ass together.
  
  Agreeably that only translates because the execution is so great, and that's partly because the performances from Jean Reno and Natalie Portman are so fantastic. But also it's because Besson's script embraces both the darkness/tragedy that comes with its story, and its absurdist humour too. On the one hand it certainly doesn't shy away from the horrors of its criminal world, as we see first hand the affects on Mathilda of having her family killed in front of her in one particularly bloody scene, and the portrayal of New York's underbelly is as gritty as can be - Thierry Abogast's camera capturing every spec of dirt under the city's fingernails. And on the other hand it really is pretty damn funny, with plenty of iconic moments, and a highly amusing villain in the form of Gary Oldman's Norman. All in all that makes for a highly amusing and engaging watch that surely anyone (well, anyone old enough for all the violence, language and difficult subject-matter) can enjoy, which put Luc Besson firmly on the map with his first big international hit.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There's no getting away from the fact it is highly ridiculous...
  
  VERDICT: An absurd story about two kindred spirits at the bottom of a city's barrel, 'Leon,' embraces the darkness and the fun of its ridiculous premise, and with two magnetic performances at its centre, it makes for a real hit for writer/director Luc Besson.

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