Violent Action Thriller On Netflix Jumpstarted Legend’s Career

The story follows the character of Leon played by Jean Reno. He is an Italian-American hitman who houses his neighbor, 12-year-old Mathilda played by Natalie Portman, after her family is assassinated by a corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield. Upon discovering her new guardian is a hitman, Mathilda begs Leon to teach her all he knows so she may avenge the murder of her parents and four-year-old brother.

In exchange, she promises to take care of the house, run errands, and teach him how to read.

Upon release, Leon: The Professional was largely regarded as a success, selling over 18 million tickets worldwide and grossing over $5.1 million during its opening week in France. However, as time has passed, many viewers have pointed out and critiqued some of the weirder themes in the film, including Natalie Portman herself.

In Leon: The Professional, 12-year-old Mathilda develops a crush on Leon, and while innocent in nature, recent discoveries about director Luc Besson’s personal relationships have soured the plot point. Luc Besson’s wife was 16 years old at the time of filming and didn’t hesitate to tell reporters that the dynamic between Mathilda and Léon was largely inspired by her relationship with Besson.

Besson met his wife, Maïwenn Le Besco, at the age of 29, when she was only 12 years old. They would marry when she turned 15, which happened to be the legal age of consent in France, and welcomed their first child a year later when Besson was 33. It should also be noted that in 2018, during the height of the #MeToo movement, several women came forward with assault allegations against Luc Besson.

In a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Natalie Portman was asked how she views Leon: The Professional knowing all she knows now. She told reporters, “It’s a movie that’s still beloved, and people come up to me about it more than almost anything I’ve ever made,” she begins. “It gave me my career, but it is definitely, when you watch it now, it definitely has some cringey, to say the least, aspects to it. So, yes, it’s complicated for me.”

Apparently a sequel for Leon: The Professional was written, titled Mathilda, and was meant for an older Natalie Portman. However, when Besson left the Gaumont Film Company, which produced and distributed the film, to start his own studio, they refused to release the rights back to him, squashing any hope of bringing Mathilda to fruition. However, he still used the script as inspiration for one of his later films, Colombiana.

Despite all of this, Leon: The Professional is regarded as a cult classic, and the antagonist, Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman), is largely regarded as one of cinema’s greatest villains. An extended version exists of the film, which Besson refers to as “The Long Version,” including more scenes of Mathilda accompanying Léon during his hits. According to the director, this version is the one he wanted audiences to see and completes his true vision of Léon: The Professional.

For those who wish to watch or rewatch Leon: The Professional, it is currently available to stream on Netflix. With an audience score of 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that across the years, audiences have continuously regarded it as a masterpiece.