(Originally Posted December 18th, 2011)
Leon: The Professional (1994)
Howdy folks, this is my attempt at an actual movie review, not just some quick tidbit on Flixster or something, but an actual review. I have a long list of movies I've meant to watch and now have the time to do so, and while doing so I figure why not try my hand at this. I'm going to be ripping a little off the style used by The Blockbuster Buster for his Honest Reviews, because I like the structure he has and it seems workable.
To start, a movie that I almost watched once before, back when there was still a Superclub Videotron near my house. Alas when I decided to rent it, it turned out that the disc had been stolen years before and they had not replaced it (and they wonder why that location shut down), so it remained on my To Watch list until recently. Might be for the best, as I don't know which version of the movie the store had, while I do know the copy I watched today is in fact the full cut of the film, which is a plus.
The movie is 1994's Leon, or The Professional, or Leon: The Professional, depending on what source you check. Honestly I don't quite remember how I learnt of this movie or what originally convinced me to put it on my list, but I can say that whatever reason was justified. This is a pretty good movie, but we'll get to that, but first.
The Plot
Leon, played by the always bad ass Jean Reno, is a cleaner or hit man, one of the best, who is brutally effective as seen in the film's opening, in which he eliminates every member of an infringing drug runner's entourage quickly and quietly, leaving only the man himself, who he leaves alive but frightened, as per his orders. We learn a little about Leon early on as well- he lives alone, takes care of a house plant almost obsessively, seems to only drink milk, and likes watching old movies. We also meet his neighbor, a twelve year old girl named Mathilda, played by a young Natalie Portman, who comes from an abusive family that hold drugs for a corrupt DEA agent named Stansfield, played by Commissioner Gordon himself, the chilling Gary Oldman. Mathilda is quiet but seems to have an interest in Leon, chatting with him in the hallway of the apartment, and Leon himself seems to care a little about her, asking about a bruise on her face and listening in as he father berates her. He is also watching when Stansfield and his cohorts arrive to question Mathilda's father about some missing cocaine left in his possession, and how he has till the following day to 'find it'. This of course does not happen, and Stansfield and his men return and slaughter the family in retaliation- except for Mathilda that is, as she had gone out for groceries, including milk for Leon, and it is this errand that ultimately saves her life and brings her into contact with the real Leon, as he takes her in to save her from the enraged police. Mathilda learns of Leon's profession and over time convinces him to teach her the ropes so that she can take revenge for her little brother, the only member of her family that she cared for. In return, she teaches Leon how to read and takes care of their living space. As I watched the extended cut I saw footage cut from the American release, in which Mathilda pushes for a relationship with the much older Leon- while the regular cut has a few scenes concerning this, the full cut of the film has quite a bit of it, and like the test audiences and Leon himself, I was a little unnerved- luckily for all involved, nothing ever comes of it. Still, Leon does come to care for Mathilda, as she provides him with something he did not previously have- a reason to live. Prior to her arrival he was simply going through life, working and staying alive, but with her, he has someone to train, to learn from, to watch out for, and his world begins to change. This of course all leads to a violent and explosive conclusion as Mathilda attempts to get revenge on those who hurt her, and Leon must help her when her plan unravels.
Favorite Character
As tempted as I am to put the titular character for this, because Leon is a likeable badass and Jean Reno is perfect in the role- he just has that presence about him, you look at him and know he could probably kick your ass in a microsecond- hell, he should cameo in the Expendables sequel, just to add a little more badassness to the movies. However, as good as he is, I really have to chose Gary Oldman's villainous Stansfield. Oldman tends to work really well as a villain, in movies like Lost in Space, The Fifth Element, Hannibal, True Romance and so on- he can be over the top but still intimidating, and in this movie he does both quite well. From his unscripted sniffing of Mathilda's father to see if he is telling the truth, to his classical music fueled speech prior to killing the man, to the little motions he does after popping one of his pills before doing something violent, the man is just great at his job. Stansfield himself is not in the movie that much, save to give a reason for Mathilda to seek out Leon and to be the villain, but that's alright, the scenes he is in he steals, and you can't help but enjoy those scenes even as he is gleefully killing innocent people- Oldman plays him so well that you almost wish he appeared more. Even so, the fact that with about as much screen time as Mathilda's entire family combined he steals the entire movie is pretty good reason for him to be my favorite character.
Favorite Line
Now while this movie has it's share of action, it is much more a crime/drama then anything, and as such, you don't end up with many one liners or stand out quotes. Then again, with a protagonist like Leon, you don't need them, because with him actions do enough talking. Still, there are a few good lines, and the one I enjoyed the most as expected, came from Oldman's Stansfield. When face to face with a vengeful Mathilda, Stansfield remain pretty nonchalant, acting like this event is pretty normal for him- when Mathilda says he killed her brother you almost expect him to say she needs to be more specific- he's just that calm. But he does say something to her that really struck me as a good, cold line
"I take no pleasure in taking a life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it."
Essentially, someone wants to die, he'll let them live, because it's not as fun as killing someone who wants to live- how cold is that?
Favorite Scene
For this, I have to return to my section on the plot and Leon's introduction. The entire scene where he is picking off the Fatman's cronies moves so seamlessly and lets us see just how much of a pro Leon is- he never breaks a sweat, doesn't as much as blink, as he systematically takes them out, and not just with bullets- while hiding in the ceiling he drops some wire and hangs a guy who never even realized he was there- and this is right after pulling another guy over the stair railing without being seen. The scene not only shows you how good he is, but lets us understand that Leon is all business- something that will change over the course of the film.
Conclusion
The movie runs a bit long, and while I'm glad I watched the full cut I can understand why certain scenes were cut, not only due to the subject matter of Mathilda's desire for Leon, but also because they don't really add much to the plot. Without those scenes, the movie would still be pretty much the same in my opinion. That's not to say some people wouldn't enjoy them, I just think the majority of them could be removed and little would be affected plot wise. That said, the movie was still pretty damn enjoyable- the story is engaging and you really want to see Mathilda get her revenge on Stansfield, while also watching Leon grow as a human being with her help. You care about both of them, which is important in any film, and you care that they both care for one another- their relationship is the core of the movie and without it being believable, the movie would not work. Add in a great performance by Gary Oldman and some pretty great murder scenes, and you have an enjoyable film with the right mix of violence and heart to satisfy the audience.
3.5 Beethoven related murder speeches out of 5
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