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IMDbPro

Léon: The Professional

Original title: Léon
  • 19941994
  • RR
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.1M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
158
59
Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
Theatrical Trailer from Columbia Pictures
Play trailer2:25
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Crime
  • Drama
12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin... Read all12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.1M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
158
59
  • Director
    • Luc Besson
  • Writer
    • Luc Besson
  • Stars
    • Jean Reno
    • Gary Oldman
    • Natalie Portman
Top credits
  • Director
    • Luc Besson
  • Writer
    • Luc Besson
  • Stars
    • Jean Reno
    • Gary Oldman
    • Natalie Portman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.4KUser reviews
    • 153Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #34
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 15 nominations

    Videos1

    The Professional
    Trailer 2:25
    The Professional

    Photos205

    Gary Oldman in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Gary Oldman and Danny Aiello in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Jean Reno in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Gary Oldman in Léon: The Professional (1994)
    Natalie Portman in Léon: The Professional (1994)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean Reno
    Jean Reno
    • Leonas Leon
    Gary Oldman
    Gary Oldman
    • Stansfieldas Stansfield
    Natalie Portman
    Natalie Portman
    • Mathildaas Mathilda
    Danny Aiello
    Danny Aiello
    • Tonyas Tony
    Peter Appel
    Peter Appel
    • Malkyas Malky
    Willi One Blood
    Willi One Blood
    • 1st Stansfield Manas 1st Stansfield Man
    • (as Willie One Blood)
    Don Creech
    Don Creech
    • 2nd Stansfield Manas 2nd Stansfield Man
    Keith A. Glascoe
    • 3rd Stansfield Manas 3rd Stansfield Man
    Randolph Scott
    • 4th Stansfield Manas 4th Stansfield Man
    Michael Badalucco
    Michael Badalucco
    • Mathilda's Fatheras Mathilda's Father
    Ellen Greene
    Ellen Greene
    • Mathilda's Motheras Mathilda's Mother
    Elizabeth Regen
    Elizabeth Regen
    • Mathilda's Sisteras Mathilda's Sister
    Carl J. Matusovich
    • Mathilda's Brotheras Mathilda's Brother
    Frank Senger
    Frank Senger
    • Fatmanas Fatman
    Lucius Wyatt Cherokee
    Lucius Wyatt Cherokee
    • Tontoas Tonto
    • (as Lucius Wyatt 'Cherokee')
    Eric Challier
    • Bodyguard Chiefas Bodyguard Chief
    Luc Bernard
    • Mickeyas Mickey
    Maïwenn
    Maïwenn
    • Blond Babeas Blond Babe
    • (as Ouin-Ouin)
    • Director
      • Luc Besson
    • Writer
      • Luc Besson
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to Jean Reno, he decided to play Léon as if he were "a little mentally slow" and emotionally repressed. He felt that this would make audiences relax and realize that he wasn't someone who would take advantage of a vulnerable young girl. Reno claims that for Léon, the possibility of a physical relationship with Mathilda is not even conceivable, and as such, during the scenes when such a relationship is discussed, Reno very much allowed Portman to be emotionally in control of the scenes.
    • Goofs
      Many viewers believe that Stansfield never saw Leon, and therefore could not recognize him at the end, but they fail to remember that Stansfield visited Tony at the restaurant after Leon had killed part of Stansfield's crew. Thus, being intimidated and threatened by Stansfield, it must be presumed that Tony gave him a complete description of Leon, and very possibly a photograph.
    • Quotes

      Mathilda: I don't wanna lose you, Leon.

      Léon: You're not going to lose me. You've given me a taste for life. I wanna be happy. Sleep in a bed, have roots. And you'll never be alone again, Mathilda. Please, go now, baby, go. Calm down, I'll meet you at Tony's in an hour, I love you, now go, go now.

    • Crazy credits
      Under the "SPECIAL THANKS" heading you will find: Chevalier KAMEN (Prince of the Mash Potatoes) Byblos Bill (King of Saint Tropez) Princess Trudy (Queen of Hearts)
    • Alternate versions
      In the original version there is a shot of Tony's place at night just before Stansfield and his men come in on the birthday party. This isn't in the 'Version integrale' (International Cut).
    • Connections
      Featured in HBO First Look: The Best Man for the Job: The Making of 'The Professional' (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Shape Of My Heart
      Written by Sting and Dominic Miller

      Introduction by Dominic Miller

      Performed by Sting

      Courtesy of Magnetic Ltd. / A&M Records

      by arrangement with PolyGram Special Projects

    User reviews1.4K

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Masterful
    I have long thought that owning films on DVD or video is a waste of money - you watch them once and after that they are left to fester at the back of a cupboard. Occasionally I make an exception - some films simply cannot be fully appreciated on just one viewing. Every time I watch Leon is as gripping and enjoyable as the first. Sad, funny, violent, incredibly touching - few films manage to tick all the boxes and even fewer are about hitmen.

    It obviously helps when your leading man has as much screen presence as Jean Reno. Thin and wiry with toilet brush hair and a face like a bag of spanners, he is hardly your typical gun-toting action hero, but he has an innocence and compassion that makes you fall for him instantly. Leon's life is as simple as a small child's: TV, lashings of milk and the odd gangland assassination. He cannot read, he doesn't sleep, he hasn't the trappings of family or wealth (the fees for his hits are habitually trousered by his `benefactor': sleazy small-time Italian gangster Tony (Danny Aiello)) - In short, he lives like a robot. And then he meets Mathilda.

    Normally I can't stand Hollywood kids. They are all doey-eyed, bouffant-haired brats who can cry on cue and are always ready with a cutesy, smart-alec comment that will cause their adult co-stars to tinkle with laughter or tousle their hair playfully. Often they are kidnapped and huge ransoms demanded while their parents go demented with worry. I for one am usually rooting for the kidnappers.

    Natalie Portman's Mathilda is the antithesis of these namby-pamby Dawson's Creek actors-in-waiting. For starters, she has something justifiable to gripe about, in that her entire family has just been slaughtered by Gary Oldman and his gang of crooked DEA officers. This is a bit of a blow, to say the least, but Mathilda takes it all in her stride and teams up with Leon in a bid for revenge. So begins one of the stranger relationships in silver screen history, but one of the most memorable.

    On the face of it, a love story between a twelve year old girl and a hairy French hitman would raise a few eyebrows among more conservative movie-goers, but director Luc Besson handles it so beautifully, it seems like the most natural thing on earth. They are united in being totally alone in the world - indeed, the scene where Mathilda walks quietly down the corridor past the carnage in her apartment and knocks on Leon's door, imploring him in a tearful whisper to let her in is as breathtaking as it is heartbreaking. Leon is wary at first, but she soon wins him round and starts to gently bring him out of the shell.

    Portman is truly astonishing - one can almost forgive her for being a part of the appalling Star Wars prequels on the strength of this one performance. The iconic image of this tiny, grubby little girl clutching Leon's beloved plant and trotting to keep up with her lanky hero's giant strides is one that will live long in the memory.

    Aiello and Oldman (at his sadistic, malevolent best) provide predictably excellent support, there is a wonderfully suspenseful yet satisfying ending - heck, there's even a decent Sting song playing over the credits - for this (if nothing else) it would be remiss of me to give Leon anything other than top marks.

    10/10
    helpful•321
    48
    • tjcclarke
    • Mar 29, 2004

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    [object Object]
    Photos

    FAQ12

    • Why does Leon always drink milk?
    • Is Léon based on a book?
    • What are the tablets which Stansfield takes twice during the course of the film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 18, 1994 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Léon
    • Filming locations
      • Paris, France
    • Production companies
      • Gaumont
      • Les Films du Dauphin
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • FRF 115,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $19,501,238
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,306,558
      • Nov 20, 1994
    • Gross worldwide
      • $19,552,639
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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