"Death is... whimsical... today." (Review)

Every now and then I find a movie that I’ve only briefly heard of, but never got the chance to watch. You know, one of those movies that sounds interesting but for some reason didn’t get much press when it was first released. These are like little diamonds in the rough. And if you’re lucky enough, a good friend will approach you one day and say “Hey, there’s a movie you should really see.” One such friend of mine told me about Leon, The Professional. Thanks Chris!

Luc Besson is a French director/producer who is also responsible for The Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita, and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. If you’ve seen any of these you have a pretty good idea of how unique this director is. Leon is no exception to this rule.

I’ve never seen La Femme Nikita, but from what I’ve read on the internet there is a great debate regarding which film is Besson’s best: Nikita or Leon. Apparently the character of Leon was actually inspired by a character that Jean Reno portrayed in Nikita and Besson liked it so much he decided to make an entire film devoted to him. The end result is an incredibly engaging film that plays with your emotions while presenting itself as some great action eye-candy.

Leon (Jean Reno) is a cleaner. What’s so exciting about that? Well it turns out that ‘cleaner’ is just another way of saying ‘hit man’. Leon is no ordinary hit man either (not that any hit man could be considered ordinary). Leon specializes in stealth and, of course, weapons, making him a one-man wrecking crew. Apart from his job, however, Leon is a quiet recluse, a social misfit. He comes across as brutal, efficient and fearsome as an assassin, but also reserved, unaware and slightly slow in the other areas of his life.

Living next door to Leon is 12 year old Mathilda (Natalie Portman’s first role). When Mathilda’s family is executed by dirty DEA agents, she is forced to find safety in Leon’s company. After reluctantly taking Mathilda in, Leon finds himself teaching her the art of ‘cleaning’ while she helps him learn about his own emotions and being. It’s both a story of an unlikely relationship and cold revenge.

I’m no psychologist so I won’t try to explain the relationship between Leon and Mathilda. It’s really better if you watch it for yourself. Suffice it to say that Portman’s performance is nothing short of brilliant. It’s too bad her most memorable work has been the recent Star Wars cartoons, I mean, movies. She is very convincing in her role as Mathilda. Jean Reno also does a fantastic job as Leon. This could not have been an easy role to play, as the character is both complex and simple, ruthless and compassionate, intelligent and dim-witted. It’s the role that made Jean Reno a star and it’s not hard to see why.

As an added bonus, Gary Oldman also stars as the leader of the corrupt gang of DEA agents. His character is the chilling, terrifying and impossible-not-to-watch performance that we’ve come to expect from Oldman. He is the perfect bad guy in a film where the individual characters are far more important than the overall plot. If you’re a Gary Oldman fan you will truly appreciate and enjoy his work in Leon.

The deluxe edition DVD is presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic video and DTS 5.1 surround sound. The images are slightly muted, but I believe that was intentional, giving the film a bit of a darker look and feel. The sound is exceptional, especially in the action scenes. Bullets whiz by and grenades explode with gusto. It’s a thinking-film with really loud explosions. Good times.

The two disc set includes a bonus DVD with special features including a 10-year retrospective where the actors, writers and director reminisce about the film a decade after its release. Also included are brief interviews with both Jean Reno and Natalie Portman regarding their work as Leon and Mathilda. It would have been nice to see some material with Gary Oldman but I guess he was unavailable.

Great characters and great performances are what make this film so…great. There is a lot of depth to Leon, much more than you would expect from an action flick. But then, this isn’t really an action flick. It’s a character film that just happens to have a good amount of action. I guess I need to get my hands on La Femme Nikita now. Oh darn, another movie to watch. I’m crushed. (Please note excessive sarcasm).

Leon, The Professional, gets 8 silencers (out of 10).

Deadly trivia for Leon, The Professional.