Jean Reno is quietly mesmerizing as Léon, offering everything he has to take care of this orphaned girl who quickly wins his heart.
But he must also protect her from her parents’ killer, Stansfield (the ballistic Gary Oldman), a psychotic with a badge who wants to tie up loose ends.
Luc Besson got the idea of doing this movie while working on his previous movie, Nikita (1990). In that film’s third act, Victor the Cleaner appears to deal with the aftermath of Nikita’s botched mission. Léon: The Professional is a 1994 action-thriller by Luc Besson starring Jean Reno as Léon, Natalie Portman as Mathilda Lando, Gary Oldman as Norman Stansfield, Danny Aiello as Tony & Jean-Hugues Anglade as Cameo.
Léon with Jean Reno
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Léon with Jean Reno
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According to Jean Reno, he decided to play Léon by Luc Besson as if he were a little mentally slow and emotionally repressed. He felt that this would make audiences relax and realize that he wasn’t someone who would take advantage of a vulnerable young girl. Reno claims that for Léon, the possibility of a physical relationship with Mathilda is not even conceivable, and as such, during the scenes when such a relationship is discussed, Reno very much allowed Mathilda to be emotionally in control of the scenes.
