Today I watched the film, Leon: The Professional. It's one of my absolute favorite films, and a film that really gets to me emotionally like few others do. I'm taking a course on action cinema right now, and I can think of few examples of the straight up action movie done better than this film. Why does Leon work where so many other action films fail?
The primary reason is because rather than being built around arbitrarily imposed action set pieces, the story development comes from the characters. There's not actually that much action in the film, there's the scene at the beginning, the finale and the montage of Leon and Mathilda 'cleaning' in the middle, but if you compare it to most action films, you'll find that not too much of the screentime is spent on action.
What it is spent on is character development, and this film has two of the richest characters ever seen on screen, the odd couple that the film is centered around, Leon and Mathilda. Right from the beginning of the film, you can empathize with these characters. A large part of that is due to the acting. Natalie Portman, who has been brilliant in some recent films, hasn't ever touched this performance, which is so natural and perfect, the line between character and actor is completely obliterated, you can't even imagine that this isn't a real person walking around. The first time I saw Mathilda, I thought wow, that looks like a miniature version of her now, but once she starts acting, you forget that this is Natalie Portman of Star Wars, it becomes Mathilda, hitgirl.
On a similar note, I don't know what Jean Reno is like in real life, but I couldn't imagine him being any different from Leon. He completely inhabits the role, and brings such an innocence to it, that you can't help but feel for the character. It's paradoxical because he is someone who kills for a living, but Reno makes you understand the humanity of the character from the very first scene. The movie theater scene sets out a lot of what's to come, as you watch this guy we previously knew only as a hardened killer get completely entranced by Gene Kelly dancing on the screen.
While they're both great characters on their own, it's in their relationship with each other that they become truly special. The scene where Mathilda is standing at the door, knocking, begging Leon to let her in always gets to me, to the point where I want to yell at Leon to open the door. The scene turns any viewer into stereotypical black female moviegoer, yelling at the characters on the screen, and that's because it's so well made. The stakes of the scene are clear, Leon has a very particular existence, one that he would forever destroy should he let Mathilda in, and yet, he also knows that to not let her would mean she would die. His humanity prevails, and thus begins the gradual humanization of the killer, Leon. Mathilda begging him at the door is such a powerful image, and a brilliant piece of acting from Natalie Portman. Similarly, Reno's very subtle facial expressions convey to us everything that's going through his head.
Another scene I have to make note of is the pig scene, where Leon puts on a show with his oven mitt for Mathilda. He's so goofy, and sincere in his hope to make her feel better.
Basically any scene between the two of them is brilliant. The two characters are perfectly designed counterparts. Leon is old, but child like, while Mathilda is young, yet much more knowledgeable about the world. They form a perfect match, and just watching the two of them interact is riveting.
The ambiguity of the relationship is what provides most of the tension in the second half. Once Mathilda tells Leon she loves him, he clearly begins to question what exactly their relationship is, and how far he can go with her. He wants to distance himself, but though he can't admit it until the end, he loves her too. The question one could ponder forever is, does that love go beyond concern and into the romantic arena? I would say no, I think Leon's moral code is so strict, and he so naive, that he would never even see her in a sexual way, and that's why her assertion that she loves him is so disconcerting. He had never considered that element of their relationship, and it makes relations more strained between the two of them in the second half.
One really frustrating scene for me, another 'stereotypical black female moviegoer' moment is when Mathilda tells the hotel clerk that Leon is her lover. How could she do that to Leon? It frustrates me so much, because I don't want to see him put in that situation.
Just the fact that the movie can get me so worked up makes me know it's a great film. A lot of directors will create these arbitrary attempts to bring tension to events, but Besson knows that it's better to just let it develop out of character interactions. There's no artificially imposed problems that create action scenes, everything comes out of the actions of Mathilda and Leon.
The scene in which Mathilda and Leon sleep together (but not in that way) is really beautiful. It says so much about how he's changed that he allows himself the comfort to let down his guard and just be happy for once. It's probably the first time he let himself do that since his girlfriend back home died. What Mathilda does for Leon is reintroduce him to the human world. It's almost like a Tim Burton movie, where this outsider who can't find his way into the world gets assisted into it by a kindly person. Leon is ultimately humanized, and at the end, he chooses Mathilda's safety over his own, and thus, we see how his priorities have changed over the course of the film. At the beginning, he was contemplating killing Mathilda himself, but now at the end, he places her life way above his. If he can get her out, he's happy, and in the end, despite the fact that he's dying, he's glad because he has given Mathilda what she wanted, her revenge.
But, he also gave her more than that. Much like Mathilda helps Leon overcome a personal tragedy, he does the same for her. His simple kindness and giving is what allows her to move on from her bad past, and at the end of the film, make a new start for herself. Leon was more of a father to her in the four weeks they spent together than her real father was in the twelve years they spent together.
I really like the ending of the film. While I'd have loved to have seen the Mathilda/Leon partnership continue, it's more logical for her to return to society, but still hold onto the lessons she learned over the course of the film. When she speaks to the woman running the school, she uses the same language she used when first approaching Leon, and the chance is there for a similar relationship. And, of course, the final image says so much. Mathilda is giving Leon his roots, just as she may have finally found a place that she can call home.
The film has many of the qualities of a typical early-mid 90s action movie, such as Besson's own La Femme Nikita, but it becomes special in the characters. Besson has made a number of other films, and the ones I've seen haven't even touched Leon. It's a confluence of a great script and direction and brilliant acting. If Natalie Portman hadn't been as good, the film would not have worked, and it took Jean Reno's innocence to make the relationship as interesting as it was. You never once think that he'd try to take advantage of her, and that's essential.
I love the film because of the people in it. Much like
Before Sunrise or
In the Mood For Love, the tension comes not out of action situations or plot points, but out of minute interactions between two characters. You can feel exactly what they feel, and want nothing more than for them to be happy. I love to really feel when I'm watching a film, and Leon makes me feel.
On a side note, rumors have been circulating for a while about a Mathilda sequel film. On the one hand, I don't think it could possibly be as good as Leon, but I'd love to see it. As I've probably made clear, Natalie Portman is brilliant as Mathilda, and I'd love to see how she approaches the character now, after so many years of acting. There's plenty to be explored around the character, and
Before Sunset and
2046 have shown me that a great sequel can enhance the film it came from. The thing I wouldn't want to see would be Mathilda training a new apprentice, I'd rather see a new plot, same character. But, even if it's not good, I'll still be there opening day, Besson earned that with the brilliant film he created.
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