Léon (film)
| Léon: The Professional | |
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French theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Luc Besson |
| Produced by | Patrice Ledoux |
| Written by | Luc Besson |
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| Music by | Éric Serra |
| Cinematography | Thierry Arbogast |
| Edited by | Sylvie Landra |
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133 minutes (original) 110 minutes (U.S. version) |
| Country | France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million |
| Box office | $46.1 million |
133 minutes (original)
Léon: The Professional (French: Léon; also known as The Professional) is a 1994 English-language French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno and Gary Oldman, and features the motion picture debut of Natalie Portman. In the film, Léon (Reno), a professional hitman, reluctantly takes in 12-year-old Mathilda (Portman), after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns the hitman's trade.
The film was a commercial success, grossing over $45 million worldwide on a $16 million budget.
Léon Montana (Jean Reno) is an Italian hitman (or "cleaner", as he refers to himself) living a solitary life in New York City's Little Italy. His work comes from a mafioso named Tony (Danny Aiello). Léon spends his idle time engaging in calisthenics, nurturing a houseplant, and watching old films.
One day, Léon sees Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman), a twelve-year-old girl who is smoking a cigarette and sporting a black eye. Mathilda lives with her dysfunctional family in an apartment down the hall. Her abusive father and self-absorbed stepmother have not noticed that Mathilda stopped attending class at her school for troubled girls. Mathilda's father (Michael Badalucco) attracts the ire of corrupt DEA agents, who have been paying him to stash cocaine in his apartment. After they discover he has been cutting the cocaine to keep some for himself, DEA agents storm the building, led by sharply dressed drug addict Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman). During the raid, Stansfield quickly becomes unhinged and murders Mathilda's entire family one by one while Mathilda is out shopping for groceries. When Mathilda returns, she realizes what has happened just in time to continue down the hall, where she desperately knocks on her neighbour's door. A hesitant Léon gives her shelter.
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