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Movies / On DVD / Léon the Professional
Léon the Professional

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Léon the Professional (1994)

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Reviews Counted:38

Fresh:28

Rotten:10

Average Rating:6.7/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Leon (Jean Reno) is a precise, calculating hit man--a consummate professional, with no family and no friends. However, he has casually befriended Mathilda (Natalie Portman, in an auspicious debut),... Leon (Jean Reno) is a precise, calculating hit man--a consummate professional, with no family and no friends. However, he has casually befriended Mathilda (Natalie Portman, in an auspicious debut), a 12 year-old neighbor whose entire family, including her adored 4-year-old brother, is wiped out by some crooked DEA agents. The girl pleads with Leon to teach her how to be a "cleaner" and avenge her little brother's death. However, once she learns a few skills, Mathilda saunters into the DEA offices with the sole intention of killing the psychotic agent (Gary Oldman) who actually masterminded the executions. But her intended victim turns the tables on her, and Leon must rescue her. LEON was French director Luc Besson's first film shot in America. [More]

Starring: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello

Starring: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello, Peter Appel

Director: Luc Besson

Director: Luc Besson
Producer: Claude Besson
Screenwriter: Luc Besson
Composer: Eric Serra

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 24, 1998

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Léon the Professional

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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"Leon The Professional" is a consummate hit man movie from the early '90s era in cinema when every young filmmaker wanted to be the next Tarantino. Luc Besson just had to be himself.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
05/16/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Reno's performance of hangdog loyalty lends his character pleasing sympathy while Besson's heavily stylized direction builds tension around sexy violence.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
04/09/08
Channel 4 Film

For the most part, The Professional is a great action picture.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/15/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Oozing style, wit and confidence from every sprocket, and offering a dizzyingly, fresh perspective on the Big Apple that only Besson could bring, this is, in a word, wonderful.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment 4 Comments
09/26/07
Mark Salisbury
Mark Salisbury
Empire Magazine

A naive fairy tale splattered with blood.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 1 Comment
09/26/07
Lisa Nesselson
Lisa Nesselson
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Luc Besson is a masterly director of stylish, thrilling, and humorous action set pieces, and this film's bravura opening and closing sequences are two of the year's best.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/26/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Ultimately seems at once too deranged and too mechanical.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
09/26/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's conviction in this movie, and intelligence.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/24/07
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

Besson fails to make much of New York's visual potential, and lazily asks that Leon's expertise be taken on trust. The shallowness was to be expected; the slackness is surprising.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment 2 Comments
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

The Professional is much too sentimental to sound shockingly amoral in the least. Even in a finale of extravagant violence, it manages to be maudlin.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/30/04
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
07/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

After a dazzling opening sequence, this one goes downhill fast.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment 1 Comment
01/01/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

No review available.

comment Comment
11/20/03
Michelle Alexandria
Michelle Alexandria
Eclipse Magazine

Despite Besson's mastery of technique, Leon's success is due in large part to its elegant performances.

Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
09/25/03
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

Good, if not overrated. Reno is always a delight and a young Portman adds a lot to the heart and soul of the film.

comment Comment
08/30/03
Shawn Bowers
Shawn Bowers
Kansas City Star

Much better in the extended foreign version that shows more of the girl's hitman training. Typical French downer, but interesting relationship piece.

comment Comment
07/14/03
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
About.com

The European cut rocks -- U.S. version less so. Biggest drawback is that Besson tries to persuade us Reno is Italian, and I'm never buying that.

comment Comment
06/11/03
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Susan Tavernetti
Susan Tavernetti
Palo Alto Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
04/09/03
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

No review available.

comment Comment
02/14/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Léon the Professional

April 09, 2008: Total Recall: The 10 Most Corrupt Cops in Movies
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November 23, 2007: Total Recall: Thank Goodness For Hit Men
This week, Timothy Olyphant stars in Hitman, the tale of a skilled contract killer who finds himself in the midst of deadly political intrigue. Here at RT, we thought it would... More...

January 17, 2007: Olyphant Pursues "Hitman" Contract
Timothy Olyphant has been linked to the movie based on the "Hitman" video game, though he says there is no official contract, pun intended. He's in talks though, and... More...

September 12, 2006: Director Luc Besson Gives Up Camera for Civic Projects
Director Luc Besson tells the Associated Press that "Arthur et Les Minimoys" (Arthur and the Invisibles), which will open Jan 12, 2007 in the States, is his last movie... More...

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