Leon

Year: 1994
Running time: 110 minutes
Certificate: 18
Language: English
Screenplay: Luc Besson
Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello

Quite possibly the high point in the careers of both Jean Reno and director Luc Besson, Leon is a rather intoxicating blend of striking action and character work.

Mathilda learns Leon's trade.

Leon (Reno) is a professional assassin in New York, a 'cleaner', effortlessly killing according to the contracts he is given. The opening is tense, violent and virtuoso. When a group of corrupt DEA agents, led by Stansfield (the gloriously over the top Gary Oldman, chewing up all the scenery in sight), ruthlessly murder a family living in the same apartment block as Leon, the 12 year-old daughter of the family, Mathilda (Natalie Portman, assured and incredible even in her screen debut) is spared by virtue of being out of the home when it happened. She returns to see the aftermath, the killers still there, so thinking on her feet, continues walking past ruined apartment containing the corpses of her family and knocks on a random door, hoping the person on the other side will save her by opening the door and letting her in. That person happens to be Leon, assassin extraordinaire, and while you can tell he knows it is probably a mistake, he can't leave Mathilda out there, begging to come in; especially as the DEA agents are getting a little suspicious. So he lets her in, saving her life.

One of the most unusual friendships in cinema starts to build from there. At Mathilda's insistence, Leon trains her to become an assassin. There isn't a whole lot left for her in life, so he agrees. In return, she teaches him to read, and the two of them build a bond that is familial and also has uncomfortable sexual undertones. The relationship is not sexual, but Mathilda, hero-worshipping the man who saved her life, sometimes indicates to others that their relationship might be more than platonic, naively not recognising the very series trouble this could cause for Leon. There is also an uncomfortable scene (for Leon as well as the audience), where Mathilda dresses up as Marylin Monroe for him, causing him to choke on his milk in shock. As uncomfortable as it is, what it does is stress the naivety and innocence of Mathilda all the more; it seems to me that she simply recognises that having saved her life, she is in his debt and wants to find a way of expressing her gratitude, not realising that teaching him to read and helping to humanise him is saving his life every bit as much. Mostly though, it's two lonely humans finding companionship and friendship in each other.

Stansfield on the rampage.

The film does a striking job of mixing this character-focused storytelling with explosively framed action set-pieces. Scores of men with automatic rifles descend on their apartment for the finale, and here Leon shows just how deadly he is, appearing out of nowhere from nooks, crannies and ceilings to eliminate all comers.

It ends the only way it ever really could, with Leon giving his life to give Mathilda the chance to start a new one on a different path, and although bittersweet, it brings a satisfying sense of both closure and potential new beginnings.

A '90s highlight.

Score: 8/10

Everybody loves Leon - two reviews from Christopher at The Independent and Mark at Empire.