Leon: The Professional Movie Review

Leon: The Professional Movie Review

A good film, with some odd moments

Leon: The Professional is a film that follows a young girl named Mathilda (Natalie Portman), as her family is murdered, and she seeks the help of a hitman named Leon (Jean Reno), who just so happens to live right next door.

I found myself enjoying this 1994 film greatly, even though there are some awkward moments in the film. I still have a lot of good to say about Leon The Professional.

So, I believe the was one of Natalie Portman's first rolls, and she does very well in the film. Granted there are a few 90's cringe scenes that they have her portray, but I don't fault her, more the script itself. Jean Reno, as Leon, is an interesting non-static character, which could be viewed as surprising by how dynamic he really is. The interaction between Natalie Portman, and Jean Reno is seamless, and natural. I found myself engrossed in the relationship that was built between the characters and it adds to the drama of the film in a very natural light.

The action scenes in the movie are also very well put together, and if you are a fan of action, you will enjoy this movie. Granted it's not action packed to the max, but when there is action in the film, oh boy, you are in for a treat. 

The flaws that present themselves in the movie are minimal. Like I mentioned above, they do have Natalie Portman do a couple of very cringe inducing scenes, but thank God they are few and far between. I think the reason they had her do those scenes was more due to the attitude towards child actors at the time, because lets face it, 90's films don't portray kids that well. 

In the end, I really did like this movie and I think I would watch it again. It's one of those films that just gets most things right and you appreciate it. The good parts of the film heavily outweigh the bad, because, Leon: The Professional, is a fantastic movie. 

final score: 4.4/5