Thirty twelvemonth ago this workweek , Léon : The Professionalmade its American debut with a modest $ 5.3 million opening weekend toward a $ 19 million running play in North America . But internationally , The Professionalwas a freak hit with $ 380 million worldwide . On home video and cable , it had an even boastful impact for its whiz and for music director / screenwriter Luc Besson .
Over time , The Professionalhas been consider one of the greatest activity films ever made . And in that wish , it really holds up well after three decades . However , The Professionalhas also been reevaluated in that timeframe because of the worrying overtones in the relationship between Léon and Matilda , a 12 - year - honest-to-goodness girl he withdraw under his extension while teach her how to become a killer . It ’s the form of matter that would get this movie canceled in today ’s climate , and it ’s also hard to look past that when doing a retrospective about it .
That ’s whyThe Professionalhas such a complicated bequest . Are the smashing part of this movie enough to contradict its truly cringey moments ? It ’s clip to find out .
Jean Wick
Jean Reno has been making Gallic movies for the safe part of five decades , butLéon : The Professionalwas the movie that raise him to an international star and helped him make headway a foothold in the American movie industry . It ’s not unlike the wayJohn Wickcompletely reinventedKeanu Reevesas an action icon . Ironically , at 46 - twelvemonth - old , Reno was four years younger inThe Professionalthan Reeves was inJohn Wick .
Léon live up to his charge from the title . He is the staring professional person when it come to kill people . He has a code about not dispatch women or children , and he ’s ruthlessly efficient about send off everyone else . The only thing Léon cares about is a house plant that he carries with him , at least until he lets Matilda into his centre . Then he becomes more than just a killer . To this missy , he ’s a hero .
A star is born
Natalie Portman made her self-aggrandizing - screen launching inThe Professionalas Matilda , the young little girl at the meat of the motion-picture show . Three decades by and by , we acknowledge that Portman has become a major player in the entertainment industry , include a recent leading theatrical role in Apple TV+’sLady in the Lake . But it was also obvious from this movie that she was going to be a crowing champion . At only 12 years old , Portman had a bang-up screen presence , and her complicated human relationship with her family is carry long before she explain it to Léon .
Matilda may require more from Léon than he can give her , but she takes his lessons earnestly and openly say that she wants to be a cleaner ( declaration killer ) like him . Given the way this motion picture play out , that does seem like the natural final result for her fictional character . As safe as Reno is in his role , Portman carriesThe Professionalon her young shoulder .
Gary Oldman gives a bonkers performance
The serviceman that Matilda has deathless hatred for is Norman Stansfield , as played by Gary Oldman in one of his most over - the - top performances . During his first scene in the flick , when one of Stansfield ’s associates tells Matilda ’s father ( Michael Badalucco ) that Norman can sniffle out a lie , he actually sniffs around his face as if that help him determine the truth . It ’s super unearthly and creepy .
Stansfield also prove to be a more competent bad guy than most , as he fancy out that Matilda is stalk him inside the police station and he set a trap for her . He even enjoy Matilda ’s concern and does n’t hide the fact that he intend to vote down her before he is called aside to deal with Léon ’s action . Late in the film , Stansfield is also the lone cop who does n’t fall for Léon ’s ruse , and he comesthisclose to getting away with everything he ’s done . Stansfield is a fantastic scoundrel , but he still dumbfound what ’s coming to him .
The action is terrific
This flick was also a breakthrough for Besson , largely because the action was improbably well - staged and choreographed . The Professionalisn’t a movie that has natural action scenes every five minutes , but the tantrum it does have carry the maximum impact . Léon is such a skilled slayer that he does n’t ask much clock time to strike during the early tantrum . It ’s only in the climatical conflict that Léon confront overpowering betting odds , and the natural process is unbelievably exciting to watch .
Besson ’s middle for details and the way he filmed his action scenes feel alone and innovational , peculiarly compared to a lot of Hollywood movies from that era . Although Besson had already demonstrated his control of the screen inLa Femme Nikitain 1990,The Professionalpaved the manner for him to makeThe Fifth Element , Lucy , Anna , and more .
The sexual overtones haven’t aged well
In the picture above , Léon is slack - jawed in shock because Matilda has just amount out of the bedroom dress like Madonna while singingLike a Virginto him . The scanty wear that Portman wears in this panorama would have been fine for a grown woman , but not for a 12 - yr - old girlfriend . Even 30 years after the fact , it does n’t find right to post a picture of young Natalie Portman that way . like a shot after this , Matilda dresses up like Marilyn Monroe and it has the same effect on Léon . The only humorous part of this minute is that Léon does n’t know who either Madonna or Monroe are , so the references are lose on him .
There are multiple scenes where Matilda profess her love for Léon , which he refuses to acknowledge for what they are . He only tells her he do it her during their last scene together , and that ’s his way of state good-by . irrespective , the whole moral force between them is kind of messed up even with his refusal to sexually engage her .
“ It ’s a pic that ’s still beloved , and people make out up to me about it more than almost anything I ’ve ever made , and it gave me my life history , ” said Portman during a 2023 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter . “ But it is definitely , when you watch it now , it definitely has some cringey , to say the least , aspects to it . So , yes , it ’s complicated for me . ”
Will there be a sequel called Matilda: The Professional?
The short result is no . The long response is the same , but there ’s an explanation attached . Because Portman break down on to big stardom , andLéon : The Professionalwas so beloved , the natural lean from fans was that she should headline her own sequel about a now grown Matilda who has become an assassin eld after her time with Léon . Sequels have happened from far regretful ideas , but one of the reason why this one never materialized is that Besson left Gaumont Film Company to create his own studio , EuropaCorp . Since then , Gaumont has refuse to give up the rights to permit a sequel to be made .
In 2010 , producer Olivier Megaton toldScreen Rantthat Besson actually wrote a hand forMatilda . But since Gaumont retains ownership of the characters , he reworked that news report intoColombiana , his 2011 action thriller starringZoe Saldaña .
Even if the headliner coordinate and Besson were allowed to revisit Matlida and the world he make , it seems unbelievable that Portman would return . In the THR interview linked above , Portman carry her dismay that Besson has been accused of intimate wrongdoing . And while the actress did n’t say that she would never put to work with Besson again , she sure enough does n’t have any cause to now .
It ’s in all likelihood for the best . Not every movie necessitate a sequel . AndLéon : The Professionalwas very much a product of its clip . But only of that prison term .
WatchLéon : The ProfessionalonTubi .
