Leon (DVD)

Film review: Leon is quite simply one of the greatest films ever made (up there with The Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects etc), a great example of how great cinema can be when everything works out well - great acting, great cinematography, great story. However the theatrical release was somewhat flawed by having 24 minutes cut in most theatrical runs of the film (of which will be discussed in more detailed later), changing parts of the plot and reducing character development. The story centers around a young girl Matilda who's family is murdered near the start of the film by (somewhat corrupt) cops in a drug bust, ...  Read the complete review

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room Leon is a classic action film and one of the very best and most exciting films of the 1990s. It also shot Luc Besson to fame and made him the proponent of the "Cinema du Look" movement, which was a reaction to what he felt was the pretentious and needlessly intellectual cinema that followed the French New Wave of the 1960s. Léon (Jean Reno) is a hitman who is absolutely flawless when at work - he is like a ghost and never gets caught. However, he's also not so bright, and so has a man that helps him manage his money, Tony (Danny Aiello). He meets Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman), ...  Read the complete review

Leon is a 1994 crime/drama directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Nikita) starring Gary Oldman, Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. It follows the story of a 12-year-old girl named Mathilda (Portman) whose family is murdered at the hands of a drug-addicted, corrupt DEA Agent (Oldman) due to a cocaine problem. Mathilda seeks refuge from the DEA agents by knocking on the door of Leon (Reno) a solitary professional "Cleaner" (Hitman) who lives next door. Leon has many pros and many cons (I suggest watching the original version rather than the Director's Cut - which is the only version I've seen). I'll start on a positive note - the story is riveting and ...  Read the complete review

Leon (also known as The Professional) is a story of a hit man who becomes the guardian and friend of a child called Mathilda. Jean Reno plays the New York based professional contract killer Leon, who works for a mobster only referred to as "Big Tony" played by Danny Aiello. At the start of the film we see Leon performing a contract from the view point of the mobsters. This is a great scene which really sets the film up well for what is to come. Leon comes across as a totally cold blooded almost supernaturally good killer. In the same apartment block that Leon lives in a 12-year-old Mathilda played by a very young Natalie Portman, ...  Read the complete review

Leon's plotline could probably be sued under the Trades Description Act. Its hitman character probably pulls people in the hope of lots of Hollywood style violence, murder and mayhem. What they probably don't expect to find is a touching tale encompassing a rather unconventional love story. Despite this potential mis-match between expectation and end-product, Leon is far more rewarding than any generic Hollywood thriller could ever have been. The plot sees Leon suddenly acquiring responsibility for a 12 year old girl who wants to avenger her murdered family. Through the course of their relationship, Leon teaches her to be a hitman; she teaches him how to ...  Read the complete review