Leon (The Professional) -- 1994 -- R

Here's something rather special...Jean Reno, always the French cop, never the lead, takes the lead in this film about a "cleaner" who is highly skilled at his craft. Natalie Portman in her first big screen appearance 5 years before Star Wars: Episode 1 showing how good she is. It all amounts to a movie that is equal parts disturbing, touching, and tragic but well crafted.

Leon is a professional hitman who handles jobs given to him by a man named Tony. 12-year-old Mathilda lives next door to Leon with her family (mother, father, sister, brother), and they've passed each other in the hall before, so they're familiar with each other. Worst comes to worst one day when Mathilda's father is set upon by a set of goons lead by Stansfield (played by Gary Oldman, who is rather wirey and psychotic in his performance), and they wipe out her entire family while she is out for groceries. Upon seeing the carnage, she wisely walks past the door and acts as if she lives with Leon instead. So begins a relationship between the two where she wants to be trained as a cleaner so she can exact revenge for the death of her little brother, but Leon wants no part of that, though some part of his cold self wants to take care of her.

The film is centered around the relationships between these characters and the situations they find themselves in. Leon does take Mathilda in as an apprentice of sorts, allowing her to accompany him on his hits and even assist him in drawing out the bad guy. Mathilda falls for Leon in a way only a little girl can, and he wisely maintains a fatherly distance from her. Stansfield maintains his psychosis throughout his bizarre part of the overall plot which I would not spoil here. These are three very well drawn characters that lead us through this interesting little story.

The whole thing flows very naturally and smoothly, and I didn't find it dragging at any point really. Leon is exceptionally clever in escaping difficult and dangerous situations and watching the intelligence given to him is nothing short of impressive.

This is a very cool film with lots of action and character built in which not only gives you a satisfying movie experience, but one that allows you to sink into the story presented and feel like you just viewed something that might have actually happened instead of some kind of sick fantasy. Definitely worthy of its place in the greatest films of all time.