Léon: The Professional
1994 · Directed by Luc Besson
Original language: French
- crime
- drama
- action
The story
Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.
What it’s like
Dim, smoky interiors lit by sodium streetlight and the flicker of a hallway bulb, with New York rendered as grimy, rain-slicked and claustrophobic. Léon's tiny apartment is a spare island of order: a potted plant, a glass of milk, a single bed under a bare bulb. Camera work is tightly composed and unhurried, with slow pushes into faces and long quiet beats broken by sudden, sharp bursts of gunfire that land hard and fast. Gore is limited, but the violence is abrupt and real, and the crime is never softened. The score is melodic and wistful, built on accordion and strings, which turns the tenderness between its two leads into something bittersweet. The vibe is melancholy and tense, a dark fairy tale of isolation and unlikely kinship that suits a late night alone or a moody rainy evening. Pacing is deliberate, with the emotional story moving at the speed of two wary people slowly letting each other in: a lonely hitman and a grieving girl who sees in him a way out of her pain. Violence is frequent and sometimes brutal, with some crude language and an adult theme of child endangerment, though it is not sexual. For viewers who want atmosphere, character and a sad, uneasy warmth, rather than something gentle.
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