Léon: The Professional (1994) Dir: Luc Besson
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Luc Besson's 1994 crime classic has been on my watchlist for years, due to its iconic status in the world of cinema, as well as its high ratings on the major review sites. I therefore had pretty high expectations for it, although, I had also heard hints of negativity about certain aspects of the film - more on that later.
The music choices in the film were a very mixed bag. I thought some of them fitted just about perfectly with the feel and tone of the film, while others, particularly at the start of the film, felt inharmonious and distracting.
The story was intriguing and relatively exciting for what it was. It's definitely not the most unique story anymore, although I realise that the film is now thirty years old, and it would have felt a fair bit more original back then. But there in lay the main, glaring issue I had with the film.
There was a growing level of discomfort I felt watching the film, in the way the relationship between the two protagonists was presented. It wasn't every scene, but there were a fair few times where it felt very uncomfortable to watch.
I did read that the relationship was based on Besson's real life relationship with Maïwenn Le Besco, whom he dated when he was 32 and she was just 15. Learning this completely recontextualises how one views the film and the relationship between the protagonists. It makes it downright disturbing, honestly.
The film's lead; Jean Reno, gave a pretty mixed performance, in my view. I found his acting either excellent or substandard, which was kind of symptomatic of the film as a whole. Brilliant moments, unfortunately spread amongst relative mediocrity.
Thirteen year-old Natalie Portman acted circles around everyone else in the film with ease. It was quite astonishing to see the acting level she was able to reach at such an early age. She really made everyone else look a bit average.
Gary Oldman had moments of genuine brilliance, but thanks to some strange choices in writing, he came across a bit odd, and not in an entirely good way. His outbursts were good, but the rest of his mannerisms felt a bit off. Ultimately, Oldman wasn't quite in sync.
Finally, I'll give a quick word on Danny Aiello, who was one of the most positive features of the film. Sure, his character was a walking cliché, but I couldn't really fault his performance as the said-cliché character.
Overall, this wasn't a bad film, on the contrary, I enjoyed many parts of it, however, it certainly wasn't what I was hoping for or expecting. Furthermore, the concerning context and thematic undertones of the story left a sour taste in my mouth and solidified the notion that I will never watch this film again.
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