Leon: The Professional
Directed By: Luc Besson

In director Luc Besson's The Professional, he takes you through a walk through of what a man who professionaly "cleans" for a living goes through. He has his daily routine which consists of such things as nurturing his only friend, a plant, and drinking his glass of milk. Such a man would not be thought to be a professional hitman, but that's the beauty of the thing, he is. On one fine day, a coke dealing father gets his whole family, except for his daughter Mathilda, killed because he didn't think to give a drug dealer his proper respect. Leon, the professional, is called upon to help the young girl and he begrudgingly takes her in. She promises to help him around the house chores as long as he trains her in his profession so she can exact her revenge upon the corrupt dealer who shot down her family.


The reason a movie like this works is because of the amazing performances. Jean Reno is amazing as the shy killer, who doesn't know what to do with his young protege who is fastly falling for him. In her first role, Natalie Portman is truly one of a kind, and shows serious depth for her age. These two plays so well off each other that you are surprised to see such a child-adult combo that would later be mimiced in such films as The Sixth Sense. As an even chillier counterpart, Gary Oldman, is frightening as the murderous villain. The movie is well balanced between action and drama, and truly succeds on all levels. A film like this is truly a rarity and will be appreciated for years to come.


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