Léon: The Professional

I'm not a big fan of action movies, but Leon offers something much different and deeper besides shooting, blood and killing. Alongside the hunt for the bad guys, we get a glimpse of the strange but incredibly strong relationship between a young intellectual girl and a cold-blooded killer. And both of their lives will change completely from the ground up when they meet and start living together. This film excels especially in terms of acting. Jean Reno is simply a likable man with charisma to spare, who can play a ruthless "cleaner" as well as a caring "parent". Natalie Portman was already very talented at the time and her acting can be compared to child stars such as Haley Joel Osment or Abigail Breslin. Gary Oldman has always been good villain roles and this is no exception. In short, a wonderful cinematic gem from France that offers some pretty thrilling action scenes alongside the actors and a strong story. (09/09/2011)

The delicately portrayed yet wonderfully performed relationship between Reno and Portman is flawless. Besson stayed true to himself in his first Hollywood film and Leon retained his French esprit. Gary Oldman's performance as a psychopathic thug and lover of classical music is unforgettable. Eric Serra also outdid himself and created a lovely soundtrack (he forgot about it again in The Fifth Element). (13/04/2003)

Besson's The Professional is one of those nonchalant films that very cleverly and imaginatively combines the "old school" with new techniques and together manage to create a fabulous work that, in addition to brilliant filmmaking, abounds with "that something extra" – an inner feeling, flair, or simply strong emotional "capital" that I can't explain or define exactly, but I can recognize very clearly when watching it:) I love the fact that even when Besson uses genre elements (clichés?) from other masters (Tarantino, Scorsese, De Palma, Coppola), he manages to combine them just as masterfully, and where the genre cliché begins and ends, he calmly creates a field of his own overlap and stuns with his creativity. An uncommonly well made and sensitive film. One of the best I’ve ever seen. (20/06/2011)

If I ever wrote a story about a contract killer, I would probably want it to look just like this. Action-packed, gritty, yet still human and highly emotional. Additionally, there are excellent characters that are beautifully brought to life by peculiarities, such as milk or some pills. Luc Besson showed with this why he is such a great filmmaker. It's a shame that he doesn't succeed in fulfilling it anymore today. (26/04/2015)

During the flood of films of both better and worse quality, one rarely has the opportunity to return to what they have already seen, and I personally only do it with films that I remember as remarkable and strong. I saw this film during its premiere in the mid-90s, and even though I wasn't a teenager anymore, it impressed me as a cleverly and impressively directed popcorn movie with an excellent cast and an emotionally perfectly functioning screenplay. The film hasn't changed, but the genre has gone through rapid development, and above all, I have changed, so this kind of action genre doesn't affect me the way it did years ago. Nowadays, I prefer a dynamic and realistic style, like the one director Greengrass promotes, so my favorite films include the Bourne trilogy, Green Zone, and Blood Diamond. Luc Besson's films are overly marked by the effort to cater to a mass audience, so they are naive, unrealistic, almost comic book-like, sometimes sentimental, and overall calculated. What remains is an excellent cast, with Jean Reno creating a star status for himself after a significant minor role in La Femme Nikita and being catapulted among the best French actors at a relatively mature age, and also gaining a few roles in Hollywood. Gary Oldman, on the other hand, created the wonderful character of a perversely debauched corrupt cop, who holds an honorable place in his gallery of villains. Young Natalie Portman also showed in this film why she would become a world-famous film celebrity in a few years. Overall impression: 55%. (15/06/2006)