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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 source)
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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

No review available.

comment Comment
01/10/03
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

An altogether interesting take on an old story, one which Besson pulls off with his customary flair and panache.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

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

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

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

Always at the back of my mind was the troubled thought that there was something wrong about placing a 12-year-old character in the middle of this action.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 6 Comments
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

"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

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

Oldman's character is so over the top, so utterly ridiculous that the audience may feel prompted to laugh unintentionally.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

No review available.

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

There's conviction in this movie, and intelligence.

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

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 5 Comments
09/26/07
Mark Salisbury
Mark Salisbury
Empire Magazine

My advice to everyone out there is to throw away your copy of The Professional, throw down twenty bucks, and pick up this newly restored (director's cut) cinematic masterpiece.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Max Messier
Max Messier
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
08/13/02
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium

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

No review available.

comment Comment
02/14/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

An exceptionally well crafted urban drama.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

Top-notch thriller.

comment Comment
12/29/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

It's surprising to find an action movie with so much emotional baggage, but amazingly it works.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
03/05/02
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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Latest News for Léon the Professional

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