Léon: The Professional

Léon: The Professional

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	September 14, 1994 (1994-09-14)
Founder	Luc Besson
Headquarters	France / United States
Area served	International
Products	Film

Léon: The Professional (known as The Professional in the United States and Leon internationally) is a 1994 French action-thriller film presented in English, both written and directed by Luc Besson. The film features performances by Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and introduces Natalie Portman in her debut role. The narrative centers on Léon (Reno), an Italian-American contract killer, who unexpectedly becomes the guardian of twelve-year-old Mathilda Lando (Portman) after her family is slaughtered by a corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officer named Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Over time, Léon and Mathilda form a unique relationship as she trains under him to learn his profession.

Produced collaboratively by Gaumont and Les Films du Dauphin, the movie premiered in France through Gaumont Buena Vista International on 14 September 1994. With a budget of $16 million, it achieved global box office earnings of $45.3 million and garnered predominantly favorable critical acclaim.

Plot

Léon is an Italian-American professional assassin employed by a mafia figure known as "Old Tony" within New York City's Little Italy district. He encounters Mathilda Lando, a twelve-year-old girl from a dysfunctional household nearby who has ceased attending her special school for troubled youth.

Mathilda's father, abusive and entangled with corrupt DEA agents who stash cocaine in his apartment, commits theft against them. In response, the DEA, led by their drug-dependent leader Norman Stansfield, raids the apartment and kills Mathilda’s entire family while she is away. Mathilda manages to flee to Léon's residence, where he reluctantly offers her refuge.

Upon learning about Léon's line of work, Mathilda implores him to train her so she can seek vengeance for her younger brother’s murder. Though initially uncertain—even contemplating ending her life—Léon eventually instructs her in firearms and combat skills. In exchange, Mathilda helps with chores around his apartment and teaches him how to read. She develops romantic feelings toward Léon, which he does not return.

During one of Léon's assignments, Mathilda attempts to assassinate Stansfield by sneaking into the DEA office but is caught in an ambush. Léon intervenes, eliminating several of Stansfield's operatives. In retaliation, Stansfield coerces Tony into revealing Léon's whereabouts.

Léon recounts his past: at nineteen years old in Italy, he fell for a wealthy woman; after her father murdered her, Léon avenged her death and fled to New York City to become a hitman under Tony’s guidance.

Subsequently, Stansfield dispatches an NYPD Emergency Service Unit team to capture Mathilda and raid Léon's apartment. Léon rescues Mathilda once more but sustains injuries when Stansfield shoots him during their escape. In his final act, Léon detonates grenades concealed within his vest, killing Stansfield.

Mathilda approaches Tony seeking to join his operation but is rejected due to her age; Tony instead gives her $100 and holds Léon's earnings for safekeeping. She returns to school and plants Léon's houseplant nearby as a symbol of new beginnings.

Production

The concept behind Léon: The Professional builds upon an idea originally explored in Besson's 1990 film La Femme Nikita, with Jean Reno reprising a comparable character role. Besson described Léon as "the American cousin of Victor," emphasizing a more emotionally nuanced portrayal.

Additionally, Besson cited inspiration from Jef Costello (played by Alain Delon in Le Samouraï) when crafting the character of Léon as portrayed by Reno.

Most interior sequences were filmed in France, while exterior scenes were captured on location in New York City. The concluding school scene was filmed at Stevens Institute of Technology located in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Soundtrack

The movie's soundtrack, which TriStar Music released in October 1994, found commercial success in Japan and was awarded a gold certification in December 1999 for distributing 100,000 units.

Notable tracks featured include:

• "Shape of My Heart" performed by Sting
• "The Experience of Love" composed by Éric Serra
• "Venus as a Boy" by Björk
• "I Like Myself" from the film It's Always Fair Weather

Release

Léon: The Professional premiered in France on 14 September 1994. It achieved significant box office success, selling a total of 18,662,979 tickets globally. During its first week in France, it earned 26.8 million French francs (approximately $5.1 million) and maintained the top spot at the French box office for three consecutive weeks. Ultimately, it sold 3,623,153 tickets within France.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 75% approval rating based on 67 reviews, with an average score of 6.9 out of 10. The consensus emphasizes the unique dynamic between a veteran assassin and his twelve-year-old protégé—marking Natalie Portman's breakout role—as a stylish and emotionally resonant thriller. Meanwhile, on Metacritic, it has a score of 64 out of 100, signaling "generally favorable reviews."

Mark Salisbury from Empire magazine awarded it five stars, commending its visual flair and fresh portrayal of New York City. Mark Deming at AllMovie rated it four stars, highlighting its striking visuals, explicit violence, compelling performances by Jean Reno and Natalie Portman, along with Gary Oldman’s intense character work.

Richard Schickel of Time described the movie as "undeniably gripping," applauding Oldman’s "divinely psychotic" portrayal. Similarly, Hal Hinson from The Washington Post praised Oldman as "the most uninhibited actor of his generation," delivering a performance that remains memorable.

Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars out of four, appreciating Besson's direction and performances but voicing concerns about the ethical implications of involving a twelve-year-old character in violent scenarios. Conversely, Gene Siskel assigned it one star, criticizing the film’s tone and depiction of the young character.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times regarded the film as overly sentimental despite its violent climax, noting Oldman's embodiment of the film's sadistic yet poetic qualities.

In France, opinions were divided. Oliver Nicklaus from Les Inrockuptibles faulted the international cut for its simplistic approach in style and tone. Jean-Michel Frodon at Le Monde considered it ambitious in theme but modest in execution, focusing on human connections rather than visual spectacle and adhering to genre conventions within action sequences.

Year-end lists

• Honorable mention – Betsy Pickle, Knoxville News-Sentinel

Legacy

An unauthorized Tamil remake titled Suriya Paarvai, directed by Jagan, was released in 1999.

In his 2013 publication, Marc Spitz referred to Léon as a "cult classic." In 2014, Time Out ranked Léon: The Professional at number 42 in its list of top action films. The character Norman Stansfield is acknowledged among cinema’s most iconic villains. That same year, WhatCulture included Gary Oldman’s performance among the "10 Most Convincing Movie Psychopath Performances."

The British band Alt-J produced the track "Matilda," inspired by the film and referencing Léon's final words. In 2015, South Korean entertainers Park Myeong-su and IU performed "Leon" on the variety show Infinite Challenge. UK rapper Knucks featured "Leon the Professional" on his 2022 album Alpha Place.

Following the 2018 "#MeToo" allegations directed at Luc Besson, critical reassessment of Léon has taken place. Besson’s then-16-year-old spouse, Maïwenn, revealed that their relationship inspired aspects of the film—Besson met her when she was twelve and began dating her at fifteen, which is France’s legal age of consent. He married her at age thirty-three when she became pregnant at sixteen. Around that period, Natalie Portman expressed conflicted emotions regarding her role and how her character was portrayed controversially in the film.

Future

Besson developed a screenplay for a follow-up titled Mathilda, which centers on an older, more seasoned Mathilda working as a cleaner. However, production was postponed until Portman matured. During this period, Besson departed from Gaumont to establish EuropaCorp, prompting Gaumont to retain strict control over the rights to The Professional, thereby stalling any advancement on the sequel.

In 2011, director Olivier Megaton disclosed that he and Besson transformed the Mathilda screenplay into Colombiana, featuring Zoe Saldaña as a young cleaner who seeks vengeance against a drug cartel responsible for her family's death—mirroring Mathilda's narrative.

Extended version

There is an extended "international" or "version longue" edition that includes 25 minutes of supplementary footage. Although occasionally referred to as the "Director's Cut", Besson regards the original theatrical release as his Director's Cut and labels this extended edition the "Long Version".

Besson planned to distribute this extended cut, but the additional scenes received unfavorable reactions from test audiences in Los Angeles. The extra material emphasizes the dynamic between Léon and Mathilda, depicting Mathilda accompanying Léon on assassination missions as an active partner, furthering her development as a contract killer.