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Leon: The Professional

post #1 of 28
7/21/10 at 7:38am
Thread Starter 
I kinda miss Luc Besson as a director, he could be a great stylist, Leon is hia best film by far, it's a well paced action classic yet it has a highly creepy subtext than even Roman Polanksi would love that only works because of Reno and Portman, their dynamic is essential tp the film's core, presenting Leon as a kind of innocent almost relieves the film of any creepiness on his part but it still comes across as creepy.

The version I watched was the durector's cut so all the really creepy stuff that was taken out of the original release is back in and it's interesting to watch.
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post #2 of 28
7/21/10 at 8:02am
Leon is flat out great, and one of the best action movies ever made (as far as I'm concerned). Jean Reno has never been better, and Portman delivers one of the best debut performances of all time. She's especially impressive because her character is the one making all the sexual advances, and she manages to perfectly convey the obviously broken psyche of Mathilda, which is ultimately what leads to her confusion about the relationship she shares with Leon. However, I think we can all agree that Gary Oldman just towers over everyone (EEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYOOOOONE!) else in the film, and his character is one of the all time iconic screen villains. Great flick, and it's a shame that Besson never quite managed to capture the magic of this film a second time.
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post #3 of 28
7/21/10 at 9:33am
Leon: The Professional is...Awesome! Fantastic action, great performances, and great actors chewing scenery like it was swiss cheese!

Luc Beeson, is excelling currently as a...Producer. Taken, From Paris With Love, The 3 Transporter films, with more fun films, likely on the way
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post #4 of 28
7/21/10 at 2:56pm
I don't think I've seen the director's cut of this. I love the movie, though.
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post #5 of 28
7/21/10 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xion View Post
I don't think I've seen the director's cut of this. I love the movie, though.
It's worth checking out. It builds up the mentor/protege relationship of Leon/Mathilda a lot more and also deals with the sexual tension subplot the original cut only alludes to. It fleshes out Leon as a character and makes him, in a way, a lot more noble, and a lot more tragic.

Love the film to pieces and I really adore Eric Serra's score. The suite that plays towards the end is some of my favourite scoring of the 90s, and I usually really dislike Serra's work. It's also the film that introduced me to Bjork.

I'm kind of half and half on Oldman. When I'm watching the film Stansfield is fantastic 'fun'. But I think he's perhaps too broad and too odd. He doesn't feel like a character, more like a combination of acting tics and grand moments. I love his little Mozart impersonation though.
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post #6 of 28
7/21/10 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xion View Post
I don't think I've seen the director's cut of this. I love the movie, though.
I've only ever seen the directors cut. There is no way I can go and watch a cut version of this film.
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post #7 of 28
7/21/10 at 3:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoonBaseNick View Post
I've only ever seen the directors cut. There is no way I can go and watch a cut version of this film.
The cut version was the only option offered to us when it was released in theaters, so we kind of had to make do.
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post #8 of 28
7/21/10 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoonBaseNick View Post
I've only ever seen the directors cut. There is no way I can go and watch a cut version of this film.
Not to defend it, but at least it's a smart cut, almost all of it was a single sizable chunk, and you never would have guessed anything had been cut out if you'd only seen the Professional cut.

I hate how this movie now has two names on DVD instead of going with just Leon. The isolated score track on the out of print DVD is awesome. Really soothing to watch the film that way.
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post #9 of 28
7/21/10 at 10:14pm
Just wanted to pop in and give some love. A couple cheesy lines don't hold up ("Somebody's coming up. Somebody serious.") but overall the film is great. We in the states (not knowing any better) enjoyed the cut version for about a decade but man the Leon cut is so much better. It makes the fine The Professional version seem anemic by comparison. The story, characters and relationships are much richer in the Leon cut. Anyone who hasn't seen it needs to get on top of it, pronto.
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post #10 of 28
7/21/10 at 10:22pm
I don't know, I love this movie but Leon taking Matilda out on the job was just boring in the longer cut. After the opening, the monotony of busting into crack houses doesn't jive with me. Maybe if Matilda actually got to kill someone (like in the original script) there would have been an escalation and a need for those scenes, but as is it feels like Leon is just humoring her. Anyone think he took that hit in the shoulder as an excuse to bring Matilda along?

This is definitely one of my favorites.
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post #11 of 28
7/21/10 at 10:44pm
I thought the on the job segments were a lot of fun, especially the montage of "gum on peephole, doorbell, chain being cut". It also shows that it's not all fun and games with the one crazed guy, which also sets up Stansfield's demise.

Matilda is absolutely terrifying in the dinner scene when she's tipsy and laughing in Leon's face. That laugh. Good god.

I'm very happy the rumored sequel never went anywhere.
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post #12 of 28
7/21/10 at 11:08pm
I've always thought it hilarious that by cutting the scene in which Leon explains to Matilda exactly why they can't have sex, followed by them getting into bed to have a chaste sleep, you actually make the movie more ambiguous. In the theatrical cut we see them wake up in bed together, no explanation, and Matilda puts her shorts on as she gets out of bed!

The first time I was totally like...did they fuck?
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post #13 of 28
7/21/10 at 11:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
Matilda is absolutely terrifying in the dinner scene when she's tipsy and laughing in Leon's face. That laugh. Good god.
Oh good, I'm not the only one who thought that laugh was psychotic.

Also, for me, the justification for the gum-on-door montage are the ring trick and "who do you think this stuff is gonna kill?"
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post #14 of 28
7/21/10 at 11:23pm
Weird. Never even paid that any mind. And I never noticed the shorts putting-on thing either, I thought she was always wearing them.

*edit- that was to Bartleby.
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post #15 of 28
7/21/10 at 11:31pm
Leon wakes up, lunges for a gun that's not there, and then looks to his left. Matilda is sitting on the edge of the bed and we can only see her from the waist up. As she gets out of bed there's a quick cut in which we see her tug at the waist of her shorts, but it's shot in such a way as we don't actually see it happen. I always figured that was because of Portman's age, but it's definitely implied.

In the longer cut we see her already in bed when they turned the lights out, so was she just in her panties...?
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post #16 of 28
7/21/10 at 11:35pm
I do miss this period Luc Besson and I feel his La Femme Nikita(1990) is a great companion piece. The Professional cut was really enjoyable on its own, but something always held it from greatness in my mind, and I could never figure out what it was. All was revealed when I watched Leon for the first time. Just a much more complete feeling picture. I feel exactly the same way about Payback: Strait Up compared to its original form.

I do have a theory that movies like Leon cannot exsist outside of the 90's. If it was filmed today it would be PG-13 or DTV. If it was made in the 70's it would be meat and potatoes without the style. It wouldn't probably have been made at all in the 80's.
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post #17 of 28
7/21/10 at 11:42pm
A friend of mine's sister, who was a nurse, got so frustrated over Stansfield's pills. She kept insisting that nothing would have such an instantaneous effect. I was like...suspension of disbelief?

I think I heard somewhere they're supposed to be heart pills, maybe with a really high dosage?
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post #18 of 28
7/22/10 at 2:32am
I'd be curious to see the director's cut, especially since I haven't seen the movie in over 10 years. Just looked on Netflix though, and there only appears to be one version available. I'm assuming that's the theatrical?
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post #19 of 28
7/22/10 at 2:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by WayDen View Post
I'd be curious to see the director's cut, especially since I haven't seen the movie in over 10 years. Just looked on Netflix though, and there only appears to be one version available. I'm assuming that's the theatrical?
Any version called Leon: The Professional will be the director's cut. Any version just called The Professional will be the theatrical cut. The Blu-Ray is the only exception, which has both.
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post #20 of 28
7/22/10 at 9:43am
Thread Starter 
Jesus, that russian roulette scene was extraordinarily powerful, Portman just owned in that scene, "I Love you Leon" and yeah, Mathilda getting drunk and laughing was beyond disturbing.

The shot of Leon screaming is just plain bizarre, it's shot in extreme closeup looking right up Reno's nose. it just weirds me out.
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post #21 of 28
7/22/10 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyler Foster View Post
Any version called Leon: The Professional will be the director's cut. Any version just called The Professional will be the theatrical cut. The Blu-Ray is the only exception, which has both.
Cool, thanks! That's the one I have on the way.
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post #22 of 28
7/23/10 at 2:53am
I recently picked this up on Blu-Ray. I don't think I'd ever paid attention so when I went with the director's cut I was thoroughly surprised. Especially when Matilda starts coming on strong.

It left me wondering. Is this like a pedophile's go to action film? Do they sit there and hold up Lolita and Leon and seriously consider which one to watch?

Squickiness aside what a fantastic film. The montages all work so wonderfully well and the ending where she's upfront with the teacher is just amazing.

I'm eternally hopeful that Besson will make something this good again.
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post #23 of 28
7/23/10 at 7:07am
Thread Starter 
I don't think he has any interest in directing anymore, which is a shame on one hand but on the other hand, if there isn't a project that inspires him, it's probably for the best.
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post #24 of 28
7/23/10 at 8:19am
Just to say, this is hands down one of my favorite films. Especially in the DC version.
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post #25 of 28
7/23/10 at 9:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bendrix View Post
The cut version was the only option offered to us when it was released in theaters, so we kind of had to make do.
I never saw it in theaters. Just picked up the directors cut when it was first released.
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post #26 of 28
7/25/10 at 2:53pm
Pencil me in as a fan of Leon: The Professional. I would go into detail about how great Jean Reno and Gary Oldman were, but that would amount to the same thing as saying that water is wet and fire is hot.
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post #27 of 28
7/26/10 at 3:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PragmaticPriest View Post
I do have a theory that movies like Leon cannot exsist outside of the 90's. If it was filmed today it would be PG-13 or DTV. If it was made in the 70's it would be meat and potatoes without the style. It wouldn't probably have been made at all in the 80's.
I'd have to agree. Even if a film with similar content were to be produced, I feel like it would come off as a contrived attempt to be edgy in the execution stage. Even ignoring the controversial nature of the Leon-Mathilda relationship, the whole dsyfunctional nature of Mathilda's family is just something that very rarely is pulled off so convincingly as in this film. There's something about Mathilda making it a point that her tears are exclusively for her infant brother and not any of her other slain family members that is just so uncompromisingly cold. Another movie would really try to nail home its awareness of it.
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post #28 of 28
7/26/10 at 4:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartleby_Scriven View Post
Maybe if Matilda actually got to kill someone (like in the original script) there would have been an escalation and a need for those scenes, but as is it feels like Leon is just humoring her.
He is just humoring her. That's the point of the scenes. He doesn't want her to be like him... She is his redemption. He doesn't want this life anymore. Him letting her kill someone would go against the nature of his character and I think would dramatically compromise the film.
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