By james art One of the best (and most controversial) action movies of all time is now available to stream for free. Directed by Luc Besson, Leon: The Professional stars Jean Reno as the titular hitman (known in the film as a “cleaner”) who reluctantly takes a 12-year-old girl under his wing, intent on revenge.
The action thriller is now considered one of the best of all time and boasts a stellar performance from the Oscar winner Natalie Portman as the young Matilda, a charmingly awkward performance from Jean Reno as the lone assassin, and a wild and wonderful performance from Oscar winner Gary Oldman. Seriously, the latter is gobbling up every piece of scenery it can. Leon: The Professional is now available to stream for free with ads included Tubesand you can check out the official action synopsis below.
“Matilda (Natalie Portman) is only 12 years old, but she is already familiar with the dark side of life: her abusive father stores drugs for corrupt police officers, and her mother neglects her. Leon (Jean Reno), who lives down the hall, takes care of his houseplants and works as a hit man for mobster Tony (Danny Aiello). When her family is murdered by rogue DEA agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman), Matilda joins forces with a reluctant Leon to learn his deadly trade and avenge her family’s death.”
Leon: The Pro has become even more controversial over time
Released in 1994, Leon: The Professional has been met with positive reviews from critics and has a “Certified Fresh” rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences are even more enamored with this strangely affecting story of a hit man and his (too) young protégé. A sequel was expected once, and director Luc Besson wrote a script titled Matilda for a much older version of the character who has now become a “cleaner”. However, the sequel never happened, with Besson instead reworking the script into the 2011 action thriller. Columbiana starring Zoe Saldana as a killer looking for revenge.
While Leon: The Professional has always been seen as controversial due to Lolita– like the relationship between the main character and Matilda, this dispute only grows with the years. Besson was accused of sexual assault in 2018 by his ex-wife, who was just 16 when the pair were together during the filming of Leon. She even stated that “When Luc Besson made Leon, the story of a 13-year-old girl in love with an older man was very much inspired by us.”
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Natalie Portman recently covered the film with a more modern, critical eye. She said in 2020 during an appearance on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast:
“I was definitely aware of the fact that I was being portrayed … as the ‘Lolita’ figure. Because I was sexualized as a child, I think it took away my own sexuality because it made me afraid and made me [feel] like the way I could be safe was to be like ‘I’m conservative’ and ‘I’m serious and you should respect me’ and ‘I’m smart’ and ‘don’t look at me that way.’”
- Date of issue
- November 18, 1994
- Execution time
- 1 hour 51 minutes
- Studio
- Gaumont, Les Films du Dauphin, Columbia Pictures
- Slogan
- If you want the job done right, hire a professional.