T-1000 Reviews

I can't believe that it was already 20 years ago that Luc Besson released his seminal classic. Indeed, I actually remember very well when it was released in France. Back then, before it became an international cult classic, it was a huge success in France and virtually everyone went to see it and bragged about how awesome the whole thing was. Personally, I saw it maybe a year later after its release and I was expecting something really really impressive but, eventually, I was amazed about how underwhelming the whole thing was. I mean, obviously, it was actually not bad at all. Indeed, the directing was solid (Luc Besson can definitely direct a movie) and Natalie Portman in her first part was pretty impressive but I still don’t think that it was really amazing. The point is that the story definitely had some potential but, not only it felt rather rotten (the director's cut had actually some pedophile love scenes between Jean Reno and Natalie Portman) but, above all, it felt terribly pretentious. Honestly, most of the dialogues were at best cheesy and most of the time even rather pathetic. At least, I’m not the only one who didn’t like this flick and both Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel were rather dismissive towards the damned thing. To conclude, it is far from a being a bad movie, I simply don’t see what is supposed to be so great about it but, considering its reputation, I think it is still worth a look.

The Professional (Léon) 'is an action movie very well shot, although in a very particular, considerably violent and somewhat entertaining. It has a touch of humor and is based on the charisma of its performers, more like visual impact as complete performances. But the element that makes it stand out is the inclusion of that child and teenager, going from innocent to move like a real Lolita causing the adult character and feelings in the viewer knows to refuse. That courage when living on the border in the moral, not only sexual issue, but for the exercise carefree of criminality on the part of some supposed "good". If you can choose the viewing, highly recommend the extended version, but can be rather long, has a sense that the topping-or, we might say, without departing far from reality, "censored"-is lost almost complete. After all these years, the film still looks great and probably still the most enjoyable of Besson.

Characterful and entertaining, thought provoking and charming.

Natalie Portman and Jean Reno scintillate, both together and individually. Gary Oldman is tiresome ... I mean, is there a role he can't play? Not so far, apparently.

The European version is really the only one to watch else the close bond between Leon and Mathilda is not correctly developed.

Not terribly realistic in the action sequences, unless there really are people who can walk through walls or have x-ray vision (maybe it's his spectacles), but entertaining nonetheless.

A very good film, surprisingly warm and human.

The opening! That's it. I'm gonna talk about that right now. The opening is arguably one of the greatest intros to a film I've ever seen. It's so greatly choreographed and well detailed. The intro is like a trailer, a taste of things to yet to come and it works brilliantly. It's not like any of those James Bond movies where Mr. Bond magically appears from nowhere, says a cheesy quote and goes out with the same expression on his face. This one seemed real and more professional. Then one of the best scenes follows: The hallway scene where all of the major characters meet, not knowing they would be affected by one another in some sort of way. It was such a great moment and I liked the atmosphere.

The cinematography is great and it's very entertaining to watch whereas it's a little low on dialogues though. But I think the great performances and an addicting storyline kinda made it up for that, so no worries. Speaking of performances, I haven't still seen much material of Jean Reno (Leon) and Natalie Portman (Mathilda) and this is the first time I'm seeing the former as a lead and boy, was he impressive. He tackled the character in a distinctive way and no matter how much it gets remade, the character will always be Jean Reno and no-one else. Then the latter as Mathilda, a sort of like a pre-Hit-Girl and a superb performance at that. I've just seen 2-3 of her films but this one stands out as her best, performance-wise. I liked all her scenes which involved crying because she is one of the handful of actors who can cry realistically and with emotion. Then of course we have Gary Oldman as the antagonist, Norman Stansfield in one of his more better performances. Now him I've seen many times and seeing another classic performance from him was imminent. He has the ability to become his character so much that you cannot recognize him in the first try. It's almost a given that any character named Norman is a villain and this one stands as one of the greatest psychopaths ever to grace the silver screen with his sporadic appearances. It reminded me of a mix between The Joker and Taha from B13. A performance well deserved for a nomination. Frankly speaking, I think all 3 main leads should've been nominated as this certainly was one of their high points.

All in all, like I said, the cinematography is great and there are indeed funny moments which will put a smile on your face and shocking moments which I bet you didn't see it coming. It's a fun movie that actually has a great romance sub-story better than most and some truly great moments.

+ One more thing: I downloaded the Director's Cut edition and, by referencing Wikipedia, saw that all scenes appeared as mentioned in the list but still some members say something about a pedophile love scene between Leon & Mathilda. It never showed up... can you tell me what this scene is all about??

8.7/10

There really is nothing I can say bad about this film. I have read the negative reviews in here and I am just left wondering how stupid these people must be. How do they not get it? Is it because there is too much emotion or connection with the characters or was the way it was expertly directed a problem? I always love a film that breaks the mould and gets away from cliché film scenes. I can remember watching this film years ago and I still love it as much today. The characters, the story and the whole damn way it is filmed.

I 100% recommend this for anyone who loves a film that isn't saturated in Hollywood filth. This is a highly recommended masterpiece.

''Revenge is not good. Once you're done. Believe me.''

Professional assassin Leon reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and teaches her his trade.

Jean Reno: Léon

From the opening musical score, which is phenomenal throughout the entire piece, Luc Besson gives us one of the most stylish Character introductions seen to date. The Cinematography is outstanding as the camera focuses on Leon (Jean Reno) and his Italian Mob friend (Danny Aiello), with subtle shots that pan onto his dark sunglasses or the glass of milk he's drinking (which actually becomes a running theme for the film).



Almost as soon as we are introduced to the seemingly cold, calculating Leon, the heat is on and we discover that he is unstoppable, untouchable and lethal as a professional hitman. The way in which he displays his expertise, is visually spectacular as he picks off targets like flies one by one, appealing to all fans of action, gore and suspense. It is also gripping to see Leon hunt down the last remaining 'client', making the vulnerable man sweat with fear and me be riveted to my seat in anticipation.
As the gloriously original plot continues, Leon rescues a 12 year old girl named Mathilda (Natalie Portman) from imminent death, which begins an awe inspiring relationship between the two. It's very rare to see such impressive characterization, and Besson manages to reveal the warmer, caring side to Leon, without clouding the believability of a ruthless and fearless killer. Without sounding too sentimental, it has to be said that their relationship and love for each other is beautifully realized, and is always accompanied by the captivating score.

''I haven't got time for this Mickey Mouse bullshit.''

Apart from the skilled and apparent capability of Reno, Portman's portrayal of Mathilda really is astonishingly authentic, albeit the stars of Leon: The Professional are obvious but without Gary Oldman's performance, the film would have lacked the depth and tension that is so essential to the story. Oldman plays a crooked, psychopathic Drug Enforcement Agent named Stansfield, with a penchant and liking for classical composers such as Beethoven and Mozart.
Stansfield is significantly agitated by Leon's diligent trail of death and destruction. The scenes in which his anxiety pushes to the extreme, commands your attention, this is a crazed villain who wants blood at any cost, and he wants this problem in the guise of Leon to disappear.

It is a meritorious accomplishment for a film of this genre to have such a rich plot and character development. The transition of Leon, devoid of any feelings, to him embracing Mathilda's affections is a paramount example. There is a strong universal appeal to all movie-lovers for this extraordinary film and it is totally justified.
I personally found it a delight to watch and I'm sure a classic for repeated viewings.

Leon: Revenge is not a good thing, it's better to forget.
Mathilda: Forget? After I've seen the outline of my brother's body on the floor, you expect me to forget? I wanna kill those sons of bitches, and blow their fucking heads off!

In "The making of The Professional", Besson says "If I imagine somebody in the street try to knock on my daughter, I kill the guy, in five seconds. I kill him, and I think "It's in me, I'm a beast!". On this part we can't forget that a part of us, the genetic things inside are much, much older than The Ten Commandments". He certainly uses visceral scenes to create very strong emotion in the movie - the blood running from Mathilda's nose or Stansfield's unforgettable "EVERYONE!" are just a couple of examples. The music and the sound are excellent and are used in a masterly fashion - you can hear Fatman's heart beating desperately or a low claustrophobic sound when Stansfield turns to look at Mathilda's father.

This stark portrayal of humanity and inhumanity is produced with the style and finesse that one expects from Luc Besson. In addition, the combined talents of Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman provide not only an unmatched on-screen chemistry, but also three perfectly created characters, the like of which are rarely seen in today's cinema. This film has my personal recommendation of being one of the best practitioners of action and platonic examples of love, of the day. I have not seen anything that matches it in terms of intensity or emotion for a story of it's type, it really succeeds in being unique and indulging. I found myself caring for the characters involved, an unique experience in itself. This is not the type of film for an uncaring, boisterous audience, but nevertheless, it is an unforgettable piece of cinematic history.

[after the building explodes]
''Hey, what the fuck is going on up there? I said take the guy out, not the whole fucking building!''

What other reason would there be for watching this, but Natalie Wood, Jean Reno, and a whole lot of action and guns?

There is just something about this film that makes it stand out more than others. The acting, the directing and the cinematography are the main ones. Brilliant performances.

"The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn."

On the surface, Léon is an easily dismissible film because it just seems like a simple French drama. But Léon is something far from that. Léon is an absorbing character study that has all the elements of gripping drama mixed with the elements of an exciting American action film. The combination equals one of the most intelligent American action films in cinematic history.

Léon is the first American film by director Luc Besson and it's a masterpiece. The film is exciting, suspenseful, taut, smart and awesome.

Jean Reno plays the title role of Léon; a professional assassin with a robust reputation. In his apartment building an abused, alienated 12-year-old girl named Mathilda (Portman) is left alone when the rest of her family are slaughtered courtesy of crooked, two-faced, psychotic DEA cop Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon reluctantly takes Mathilda under his wing; providing care and a place to stay because she has no-where else to go.

But Mathilda is intrigued by Léon's profession of being a hit man. In order to avenge the death of her little brother (the only one in the family she cared about), Léon teaches Mathilda the art of his trade and reveals the secrets of how to become a professional cleaner. But this blooming friendship opens up new doors for Léon; he feels the ability to care and love.

Léon brilliantly combines scenes of violent, awesome action with some compelling drama that showcases wonderful performances. Jean Reno begins as a cold assassin who feels nothing. Every turn for his character is felt strongly by the audience. He's reluctant to shelter young Mathilda but when he finally does it alters his life forever. Being a professional hit man he should not have the ability to love and strongly feel emotion. Jean Reno never breaks his profound concentration for the film's duration. The opening 20 minutes showed Reno as ruthless and cool; everything one should find in such a character.

Natalie Portman is in her film debut with this role. She's extremely young, but her acting can't be faulted. Her performance is heart-felt and sincere. Whenever she cries it doesn't feel at all contrived. For someone in their early teen years, this is a quality almost unheard of. Kudos to Portman for pulling off such a convincing first role!

Gary Oldman is sadistic and cynical but at the same time energetic and occasionally amusing. His character was despicable; however Oldman plays the role to perfection.

Luc Besson really knows how to direct a film like this. The cinematography in particular was outstanding! The action scenes don't suffer from the usual fast cut syndrome. They are filled with creative camera angles, ultra violence and the camera was utilised in a highly inventive way.

Léon also boasts a great story that suffers from a very small number of typical clichés. Sure, the love story was a little embarrassing at times but that's only a marginal fault. Aside from that the script is smart, the action is taut and the film is dazzling entertainment.

Léon is highly recommended for a night of action, laughs and drama all rolled into one masterpiece.

I loved this film. Jean Reno did excellent as a hitman, and his acting was great. Natalie Portman did good as a young girl who really wants to "Clean", like Leon. This is one of the most entertaining films, I have ever seen. It never gets boring, or dull. I will definitely buy this soon.