Review of Léon: The Professional (1994) by Nicolas A — 21 Mar 2012

This is a Luc Besson classic, as far as hitman movies go you can't get much better than this.

Jean Reno plays an Italian hitman on top of his game, living a familiar life in little Italy until his 12 year old neighbor Mathilda (Natalie Portman) knocks on his door after her family is slaughtered by crooked cops. Now with nowhere to go and a sinister cop (Gary Oldman) looking for her she has to rely on a hitman.

This is a great film about the unusual friendship that develops between Mathilda and Leon (Jean Reno). Some people have interpreted the on-screen relationship as romantic, but it's about a man and a girl who've given up on trusting anyone because of the emotional wounds from those closest to them, learning to trust and even love each other.

And Gary Oldman who always plays the best bad guys, gives killer performance as a terrifying and unpredictable cop with the DEA squad. Great performance from everyone, awesome action scenes and a definite tearjerker.