O Profissional

This film, better known in the U.S. as "The Professional", is a wonderful and intense film. Jean Reno plays his role as a "cleaner" with incredible subtlety. Leon tries to keep his emotions completely suppressed, yet Matilda (in an extraordinary performance by a young Natalie Portman, who is destined to become a very powerful actress into her adult life) bring out in him a new-found joy for life that accompanies his growing paternal instincts. But, the most dynamic element of this film is undeniably Gary Oldman's performance as a wildly sadistic and crooked DEA agent with his own narcotic-induced demons. His obsessions eventually lead him to the brink of absolute madness in his hunt for the cleaner. Truly, this is Oldman's finest performance to date, worthy of Oscar glory, though sadly forgotten. And so, Luc Besson did indeed top his triumph of "La Femme Nikita" by far with this masterpiece. Though, I cannot exactly praise his most recent effort with the sci-fi misfire, "The Fifth Element."

I first saw this in the late 90s. Then again in the mid 2k on a dvd i own.

Revisited the remastered extended version last night with my family.

This movie is more than just a hitman or an assassin movie.

The music is top notch, the characters are very well developed, the action scenes n direction are stylish.

But the best part are the scenes between Reno n Portman. Leon is amazingly n very differently portrayed by Reno.

There is a Bollywood copy known as Bichoo (Scorpio).

The only thing good in the Bollywood movie is that the guy who played Tony gives away all of the hitman's money to the girl whereas in the original, the character of Tony gives only a single currency note to Mathilda n keeps blabbing the same "safer than the usual bank story".

Luc Besson's "The Professional" is sort of a companion piece to his international breakthrough hit "La Femme Nikiti", and in many ways it's an even better film. It raises the stakes of Besson's playful women-with-guns theme by making the heroine a 12-year-old, played by a then unknown Natalie Portman. Jean Reno is excellent as her assassin trainer and surrogate father. Oldman is completely over the top in one of his best bad-guy roles, obsessed with both Beethoven and butchery. As a gritty, suspenseful thriller, this film won't leave action fans feeling cheated, but the film is so much more than that. At the center of "The Professional" is a wonderful father and daughter-like relationship between two damaged strangers who find solace in each other.

A hitman is forced to look after twelve year old Matilda, who's family has been killed.

Leon was and will forever be a masterpiece, it is a thought provoking, dramatic and pretty violent thriller, one that will actually challenge you, making you question what's actually happening in front of your eyes.

Violent and bleak in parts, but not lacking some humour, the game of charades for example is a real hoot, and breaks the serious narrative up a little.

Best scene for me, the showdown in The Gent's toilet, where Matilda finally confronts Stan, the acting is off the scale.

The relationship between Leon and Matilda is complex, but one thing that I noticed, is that every aspect of it is driven by Matilda, not Leon, he just goes with the flow.

The acting is phenomenal, there are a trio of first class performances, Jean Reno and Gary Oldman as you'd expect are captivating, but credit to a young Natalie Portman who is on par, defying her young age and inexperience, no wonder.

This amazing film still packs a punch.

10/10.

Leon is a cleaner for his boss, it's like removing bits of debris when you floss, a variety of tools, he always plays by his set rules, now he's taken in a girl he's come across. She purports to be 18 but she's a child, had to grow up quick with a family that's quite wild, now they have wounds, that won't be healed, after messing with Stansfield, that's left her quite annoyed and somewhat, slightly riled. It's a story of revenge and adolescence, of walking a fine line that may cause offence, but there's chemistry and connection, performances played to perfection, quite original, without too much pretence.

Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and especially Gary Oldman are immense.