9 of 10
Cinematography by Thierry Arbogast
Jean Reno
Gary Oldman
Natalie Portman
Danny Aiello
Peter Appel
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| The Professional 9 of 10 |
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| Directed by Luc Besson Cinematography by Thierry Arbogast Jean Reno Gary Oldman Natalie Portman Danny Aiello Peter Appel |
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| This film is the story of Leon, an expert hit man, who befriends a little girl named Mathilda, after her family is destroyed by a corrupt narcotics cop and his cronies. Sounds strange, doesn't it? It is strange. But it is also unusually moving. Before meeting Mathilda, Leon's entire life is spent either killing people, or hiding in his small apartment, trying not to get killed himself. But after taking her under his care, he begins to see what is missing from his life, and begins to discover, through her, what it might mean to actually love and be loved in return. At first this would seem in direct contrast with his violent occupation, but he grows here as well. Mathilda, when she discovers that he is a hired assassin, asks him to teach her how to kill, so she can avenge her family's death. As he begins to teach her these things, he begins to see himself the ugliness in what it is that he does. Up to this point, the film's title was a perfect description of his life; killing was a job for him. But, after his time with Mathilda, he sees differently. I'll keep the ending to myself, but it introduces some very interesting material as well. All in all, a very powerful film, although it is probably not for everyone. There is some pretty brutal stuff here, and some very disturbing images. And the film is very complicated. Its frequent juxtaposition of violence and innocence is confusing, and really needs some sorting out. But the visuals are great, the directing is crisp (and very European), and Natalie Portman's performance makes very clear here just how far her career has fallen. The star of the show in this one, though, has to be Jean Reno. He is simply amazing; possibly the best individual performance I've ever seen. His Leon is achingly, seeringly beautiful, despite his horrible occupation. His presence alone makes this a brilliant film. It is certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you can stand it, you will not regret watching it. |
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