Léon (1994)
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A professional hitman takes in a young girl after her family is murdered by corrupt DEA agents.
The story
Léon is an Italian-American hitman, known as a 'cleaner,' working in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City. His life changes when he encounters Mathilda Lando, a lonely twelve-year-old girl whose family is murdered by a drug-addicted DEA agent, Norman Stansfield, during a raid. Léon reluctantly provides her with shelter. Mathilda, seeking revenge for her brother's death, begs Léon to teach her the skills of his trade. The two form an unusual bond as she becomes his protégée, learning to use weapons while he provides her with a home, leading to a tense dynamic between the seasoned killer and his young student.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Léon, a hitman in New York City, takes in Mathilda after her family is killed by the volatile DEA agent Norman Stansfield. Mathilda becomes his apprentice, learning to use weapons while he teaches her to read and she performs his errands. The plot follows their evolving relationship as Mathilda attempts to confront Stansfield, leading to a rescue by Léon. The story explores Léon's past in Italy and his transition to a 'cleaner' in New York. The climax occurs when a team sent by Stansfield infiltrates Léon's apartment. Léon manages to get Mathilda to safety before being wounded. In a final confrontation, Léon uses a grenade to kill Stansfield. The film ends with Mathilda being sent back to school, where she plants Léon's houseplant to give it roots.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Luc Besson
- Writers
- Luc Besson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jean Reno · Léon; Gary Oldman · Norman Stansfield; Natalie Portman · Mathilda Lando; Danny Aiello
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- mentorship; revenge; loneliness
- Tone and mood
- stylish; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- hitman; orphan; drug enforcement
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was described as a stylish and oddly affecting thriller.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 76% · scale: percentage · review count: 66; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 12; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The character Norman Stansfield has been named as one of cinema's greatest villains.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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