By Jav Rivera
Talent comes in all sizes, ages and forms. Some of the best performances of the 90s came from Luc Besson's film The Professional (aka Léon: The Professional). Starring Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman and Danny Aiello, the story follows the life of Hitman Léon after saving a young girl.
As a rather unknown actor in America, Jean Reno took on the titular role with an expertise no other actor could. And like Reno, only Natalie Portman could fill the role of bull-headed Mathilda, Léon's adopted protégée. In her first feature film, Portman started her amazing career with a bang. And who else but Gary Oldman could rival these two as the frightening Stansfield.
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Jean Reno as "Léon" |
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Gary Oldman as "Stansfield" |
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Natalie Portman as "Mathilda"
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He also explains that mentally both were right for each other since Léon's mind had been stunted at an early age. The director's cut includes scenes with Mathilde becoming more and more aggressive with her protector. As a film lover, I highly recommend the superior director's cut. It truly gives a better picture of the two characters and the overall story benefits with the addition of those scenes. Keep in mind, the scenes were never that risqué to begin with and especially not compared to films today. Fortunately the scenes, and film in general, were handled by a master craftsman and portrayed by very smart actors.
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Jean Reno and Natalie Portman |
And anyone who's seen the film should be aware of Gary Oldman's performance. He takes the simplest task, such as taking pills, and turns it into the strangest thing you've ever seen.
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Gary Oldman takes his pills |
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Oldman and Michael Badalucco as "Mathilda's Father" |
For more information about Léon The Professional, visit the film's IMDb page: www.imdb.com/title/tt0110413
TRIVIA: Mathilda (Natalie Portman) checks herself and Léon into the hotel under the name "MacGuffin". "MacGuffin" is a movie term coined by Alfred Hitchcock for a trivial element in a movie which serves no other purpose than to drive the plot forwards.
TRIVIA: Mathilda (Natalie Portman) checks herself and Léon into the hotel under the name "MacGuffin". "MacGuffin" is a movie term coined by Alfred Hitchcock for a trivial element in a movie which serves no other purpose than to drive the plot forwards.