In The Professional, Jean Reno plays Leon, a professional hitman, or “cleaner,” who takes in his 12-year-old next door neighbor and teaches her his trade. Mathilda (Natalie Portman) has narrowly escaped getting murdered — unlike the rest of her family — by corrupt DEA agent Stansfield, played with violent glee by Gary Oldman. She takes refuge in Leon’s apartment. She soon finds out that Leon is a hitman and offers to hire him to get revenge on Stansfield for killing her younger brother. As payment for his services, she offers to clean Leon’s apartment and do the laundry. Eventually, she asks Leon to teach her to be an assassin and, in exchange, she’ll teach him how to read and write. He reluctantly agrees.
The movie is about Leon and Mathilda’s relationship more than it is about Leon’s job as a hitman. Reno plays his role with restraint and Portman is excellent as the street smart little girl. There’s an odd tension between the two of them as they come to realize that they are dependent on one another’s affection and trust. It’s a palpable feeling that many other movies dependent on strong character development lack. Besson’s script is terse and to the point much of the time, which just adds to the grimy atmosphere. Although set in New York, the movie is very European in style and appearance. You’d swear that the motel rooms that Leon and Mathilda seek refuge in are above some seedy bar in London or Paris.
There’s a lot to like about this movie. It’s got a healthy portion of action, great character development and an interesting premise. My only complaint is we don’t learn quite enough about Leon and his main client and confidant, Tony (Danny Aiello). Possibly, that’s asking too much from the movie. Even so, I had some unanswered questions about their relationship. (Apparently, a longer version of this movie exists that answers these questions. Unfortunately, it was only released in Sweden, Norway, France and Japan.)
The Professional is a great night’s worth of entertainment for those that like their movies with action, drama and a little humor thrown in.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
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