Leon (or The Professional to American audiences)is the tale of, well, Leon. And of course Matilda. Leon is "a cleaner", a hitman at the very top of his professional whose life is turned upside down by the 12 year old Matilda after he saves her from the massacre of her wretched family by Gary Oldman's crew of drug runners.
From here builds a strange relationship between two people who only really have each other, complete with an edge of tension in terms of the Matilda's eagerness to build a physical relationship between the pair also.
Director Luc Besson is often accused of being very much part of the 'cinema du look' movement, that is to say films that are all about the look of it but are hollow with nothing to really say and lacking in emotional connection. But there is heart here in the developing relationship between Leon and Matilda, with Leon slowly learning to connect with the world and people around again as Matilda learns valuable lessons as she is forced to grow up all too fast (albeit she's already older than her years at film's start).
Having said the film is also filled with excellent visuals from Besson's use of tracking shots to his use of light and shade throughout the film. One point of view shop towards the end in particular is a brilliant use of technique and storytelling, though to say more is to give things away.
Performance wise this marks the American breakthrough of the ever excellent Jean Reno (he was even great in Godzilla) playing a version of the character that first appears in La Femme Nikita (also worth checking out). Gary Oldman is frankly terrifyingly malevolent as the villain of the piece (you won't listen to Mozart in quite the same way again) but the real news of course is Natalie Portman.
12 years old herself at the time of filming she brings a real believability to the part of Matilda in role that easily could break the film apart if not done right. Managing to display childlike playfulness alongside desperation, loneliness and the uncomfortable begin and misdirecting of sexual interest that starts when people hit those early teenage years. A performance easily up their with Jodie Foster's Iris from Taxi Driver.
After this Besson moved pretty much into standard action fair with only The Fifth Element really standing and more recently he seems happier in the producing role. Still we'll always have Leon the blending of the mainstream crime thriller with the more European drama of the strange relationships that come and go through life as people are throw together.
A film that moves effortlessly from action set piece to tender bonding and with one of the greatest examples of learning on the job thrown in for good measure (look out for the confused drug runner about halfway through)
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