I’ve just watched Léon, a film from 1994 directed by Luc Besson. The movie’s just been aired on one of the Norwegian TV-channels, and I’m stunned. As a rule, I find big doses of gangsters, violence, blood, gore, corpses, drugs, and senseless killing utterly unappealing and certainly not very entertaining. Léon is a movie about a pro hitman (excellently played by Jean Reno) and is full of it, yet I was riveted from beginning to end. Visceral and intelligent, this is an action thriller for lovers. A true masterpiece, and probably Besson’s best, beating even Nikita and The Fifth Element. Gary Oldman as Stansfield is fabelous, as is a very young Natalie Portman as Mathilda, marking Portman’s feature film debut.

Léon: The Professional (1994)
Directed by
Luc Besson |
Writing Credits
Luc Besson | … | (written by) |
Cast (in credits order)
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Jean Reno | … | Leon |
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Gary Oldman | … | Stansfield |
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Natalie Portman | … | Mathilda |
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Danny Aiello | … | Tony |
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Peter Appel | … | Malky |
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Willi One Blood | … | 1st Stansfield Man (as Willie One Blood) |
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Don Creech | … | 2nd Stansfield man |
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Keith A. Glascoe | … | 3rd Stansfield man |
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Randolph Scott | … | 4th Stansfield man |
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Michael Badalucco | … | Mathilda’s Father |
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Ellen Greene | … | Mathilda’s Mother |
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Elizabeth Regen | … | Mathilda’s Sister |
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Carl J. Matusovich | … | Mathilda’s Brother |
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Frank Senger | … | Fatman |
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Lucius Wyatt Cherokee | … | Tonto (as Lucius Wyatt ‘Cherokee’) |
[Source: IMDB]