I'm a HUGE fan of the Hitman/Assassin genre. I have an affinity for films like Kill Bill, La Femme Nikita, Collateral and of course The Killer. But at the top of my list, the granddaddy of them all is Léon: The Professional. A lot has been said about the controversy surrounding the idea of having a 12 year old girl working as an apprentice to a hitman and others have made clear that that they object to the idea of the vague love story between the two. I have always seen it that Leon viewed her as the daughter that he never had and was her protector. I never saw it any other way, even if she did have a crush on him.

For me, this is a brilliant movie and one that I cherish a lot because it's classic hollywood film making, even though most of the indoor scenes were filmed in France. It ranks right up there with some of the all time greats. Leon offers so much for a 2 hour film. You will laugh, you will cry, you will be on the edge of your seat and most importantly, you will be satisfied by the end of the film. We all wish for a happy ending, and even though Leon doesn't get that happy ending he deserves, the final scene does represent that he and Mathilda (Natalie Portman) are finally putting roots in the ground as she finds a fitting place for their plant, in essence keeping him alive. It's an amazing scene and not as corny as it may sound like.

There are some amazing performances throughout this film and at the top is Jean Reno as Leon. He was brilliant as a broken hitman that didn't have anything else going for him other than his job. That is until Mathilda came into his life. Watching these two act against each other makes the movie what it is. Watching her in her film debut still floors me in how  f u c k i n g  good she was right out the gate. Did she peak here? I think she has yet to top her performance here, but that doesn't mean I don't like her other movies that's she's done since then. The other amazing performance goes to Gary Oldman. One of the best villain roles he has ever done.

I highly Recommend this as a Buy. It's a must-own. Get it now and thank me later. It's an awesome movie and I take my hat off to Mr. Luc Besson in crafting an amazing film from top to botton. Great story, great characters, flawless direction and an amazing musical score to set the tone for a lot of the scenes that unfold.

I'll say it again. Best Hitman/Assassin film of all time!

damn dude got your highest rating....I know other people love the movie (as clearly you did) and...I did like it...I need to go back and watch it again...because even back then it didn't totally blow me away....as much as everyone who said 'YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE it's amazing.'

it didn't have the same impact as maybe other movies had....but it's been so long...I need to go back and revisit it.

would you say you liked this better than Taxi Driver?

Se7en?

Madonna Truth or Dare? (just testing you)

It's the relationship between Leon and Mathilda that really makes this work for me. It's more character-driven than an all out 'Action" flick. If you were to compare it to other movies that have a lot of action beats in it, then yes, it may seem a bit underwhelming. But it's the slow buildup to the ending that makes it more effective and fulfilling than a movie that has a thousand body bags in it. I just think that Leon is such a cool character. Sure, the Killer-with-a-conscious isn't new, but Jean's performance is the best at portraying a man trying to give his life meaning, in a job he wishes he never started doing.

Don't watch the movie like it's a Michael Bay film with explosions and fancy camera moves. Just take the movie in and you will 'get' what it means to watch a classic film with great writing and without all that superfluous  b u l l s h i t  that permeates most films of this genre.

And to answer your question. Yes, it's way better than Taxi Driver, Seven and even Madonna's Truth Or Dare. For real, dude.

I hate Michael Bay and James Cameron...neither does movies I like or am a target audience for/

I don't even like Alien 2.

!

Terminator is fine....I liked T2 when it first came out...but that movie aged horribly....at Wildstorm we tried many times to go back and watch it when I bought the really nice DVD set...it's not very good.

so yeah I don't really like his films...not saying it to be controversial here...you could ask people at Wildstorm...whenever he'd come up in conversation I'd rip on his work.

I hate his color palate...let's see...everything is lit.  BLUE/

think about it.  Alien 2, Abyss, Avatar....it's all ****ing blue.

I hate how he lights scenes...it's just flash fake stage lighting...everything is like a crappy Image comic....reminds me of a certain colorist actually who will remain nameless.

Titanic had soul...I'll give him props for that.

bleh

I'll pay Cameron a BIG compliment./..I know he takes his film making very seriously...and I respect that....he's one of the best at what he does.

hahahaha

wondering how the new Alien movie will be speaking of films and sequels...it's been a LONG time for Ridley Scott.