The Professional (1994)

 

I still have no idea why the title of the movie has been changed from “Léon” to “The Professional” when it came here to the States.

Anyway, to the movie at hand, I avoided this movie for so long that it glamorized killing people. I wasn’t with that. After seeing “No Country for Old Men”, I thought I would bite the bullet and see this movie. I have to say that it exceeded my expectations.

Jean Reno as “The Professional” was great. When he killed, it wasn’t gratuitously bloody. Everything was off screen so it was easier to digest the violence. However, Gary Oldman is very brutal in the way he killed Mathilda’s family. It was actually shown on screen. I was shocked.

Mathilda (Natalie Portman) was reminiscent of Tatum O’Neal’s character in “Paper Moon.” She plays an abused kid who tags along with the assassin. She wants revenge for the people that killed the important person in her life, her baby brother.

I love Jean Reno. He is so cool. Sometimes, he is cast because of his off beat nature in roles of killers, curmudgeons, or cops. It’s such a disservice to him. I love his “uniform”, the beanie hat, the round sunglasses and the long trench coat. Cool.

All I have to say is potted plant, guns and milk.

Okay.