This was a slow but good movie. It had some funny moments & who doesn’t love Natalie Portman, she is a treasure.
Leon the Professional 1994 movie review by AI
Léon: The Professional isn’t your typical action movie. It’s a quiet, stylish, slightly weird little gem that manages to be funny, violent, and tender all at once. Yes, it’s slow — sometimes really slow — but it knows exactly what it’s doing. The movie lingers in the silences and lets its characters breathe, which actually makes the gunfire and explosions hit harder when they come.
Jean Reno plays Léon, the soft-spoken hitman with a green thumb and a surprisingly sweet soul. He lives a simple, monk-like life until a twelve-year-old neighbor, Mathilda (played by a magnetic Natalie Portman), barges into it with a cigarette in one hand and vengeance in her heart. From there, it becomes a strange but heartfelt story about found family, unlikely friendships, and what it means to care for someone in a world that doesn’t.
Let’s talk about Natalie Portman. She’s a revelation here — funny, fierce, vulnerable, and absolutely impossible to look away from. You can see why she became a star. One minute she’s practicing her assassin scowl in the mirror, the next she’s impersonating Madonna in a scene that’s both hilarious and awkward in the best way.
And then there’s Gary Oldman. My god. He doesn’t just chew scenery, he swallows it whole. Every time he’s on screen, he’s doing something—whether it’s screaming “EVERYONE!” or popping pills like candy. It’s cartoonish, it’s unhinged, and it’s somehow perfect for the world this movie creates.
Is it morally complicated? Definitely. Is it kind of weird in places? For sure. But it sticks with you. Léon has a heart beneath its grimy exterior — and that heart beats loudest in the quiet moments between Léon and Mathilda, when two lost souls find something like peace in each other.
Verdict: A stylish, emotional thriller with offbeat humor, heavy firepower, and one of Natalie Portman’s most unforgettable roles. Slow? Yes. Boring? Never.
