PROFESSIONAL, THE
(director/writer: Luc Besson; cinematographer: Thierry Arbogast; editor: Sylvie Landra; music: Eric Serra; cast: Jean Reno (Léon), Gary Oldman (Norman Stansfield), Natalie Portman (Mathilda Lando), Danny Aiello (Tony), Peter Appel (Malky), Ellen Greene (Mathilda’s mom), Michael Badaluccio (Mathilda’s father), Adam Busch (Manolo); Runtime: 115; MPAA Rating: R; producer: Patrice Ladoux; Netflix/Columbia Pictures/Studio Canal; 1994-France/USA-in some French & Italian, mostly English)
“An intense character study.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
French director/writer Luc Besson (“La Femme Nikita”/”Lucy”) helms his first English language thriller. It’s an intense character study, also noted for the film debut of the 11-year-old Natalie Portman (a future star).
The super-efficient, reclusive Italian immigrant professional hitman (who calls himself a “cleaner”) Léon (Jean Reno, French actor), works for mob boss Tony (Danny Aiello) in NYC’s Little Italy. The only things he cares about is his house plant, drinking milk and watching Gene Kelly musicals. Reluctantly Léon takes in the precocious 12-year-old Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman), whose family lives in his building and are gruesomely killed along with her four-year-old brother while she was out shopping. They were killed by a corrupt and volatile DEA agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman, in an over-the-top performance) and several other corrupt members of his crew. The reason is because Mathilda’s father stores DEA recovered cocaine and is caught stealing product from them by skimming some off the top.
Mathilda seeks revenge for the murder of her little brother (the only one in her abusive family she liked), and the silent assassin is talked into teaching her the skills needed to execute the hit job. During their time together the marginalized characters awkwardly feel some kind of a tangible love for each other.
Tony guns down the corrupt DEA agent Malky (Peter Appel) and heroically rescues Mathilda after she tries killing Stansfield in his office and is cornered there by his crew. Stansfield responds by pushing Tony around to find out Léon is hiding in a hotel, where he hunts him down.
Viewers loved this pic for its entertaining sand tylish action scenes even if they were illogical, while critics either praised it for taking risks to come up with something quirky or roasted it for its distasteful kinky pedophile twist.
It tempers a familiar story between an artistic loner gangster and a corrupt out-of-control Beethoven-loving lawman, and freshens things up by making the monstrous gangster more human and the story more emotionally sound despite its absurdity.
My review is from the R rated-one. There’s also an uncut version on Blue-ray DVD, restoring a vital half hour of missing footage.
REVIEWED ON 8/29/2025 GRADE: B-
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