Hitmen with Hearts: Léon

Léon: The Professional (1994)

This film slots between genres. The New York setting drapes the scenes of apathetic violence, whilst quirky costumes and captivating camera angles allow this movie to be iconic. The dialogue conveys effective realism. This, combined with the reactions from all characters - ranging from major to minor - which differentiates this movie from a unrelenting gunblasting gorefest that is a feature of many underpar action films nowadays. 

Luc Bresson's early films, including Léon, channel a suave ambience of cool. Carefully crafted characters that each have depth; back stories which compliment the final plot. The drama rotates around the axis of Leon and Mathilda (Natalie Portman), whose unusual relationship is foreshadowed in the first scene, then is accelerated to ensure survival. A slow, unfeeling man joining forces with a quick witted girl have been emulated, yet there are subtlties which elevate this relationship from clichéd, to believable and almost envoking envy.
      Girls like me will be jealous of Mathilda's clothing which outwardly expresses her sassy independence. 90s Bomber jackets and cicle glasses, multicoloured cropped hoodies and a red knit beanie; Magali Guidasci - the costume designer has a tasty recipe for a timeless style icon. She stands out against the drab, beige and dilapitated interiors of an appartement block in Spanish Harlem. Furthermore, every hit girl needs a signiture constant or hair cut - the bob and mini fringe and habitual choker conveys an idea that Mathilda knows exactly what she wants and has a dedicated and firm desire for her orders/wishes to be satisfied. Yet, she regains the ability to impart her naivity onto the audience. Bresson required not a teenager who knew sex, but an adolescent who thinks she knows sex. Hit Girl from Kick-Ass has obviously been modelled on Mathilda. Also is is amazing how Portman is able to distance herself from her more conservative upbrining to really empathise with the struggles faced by a smoking, shooting, impoverished pre-tee in NYC.

The film is supported by incredible feats of acting delivered by Jean Reno (admired so by Bresson,  Reno featured in nearly all of his early films) a french man whose impartiality replicates that of french mime artists. This ability to slip between the shadows is important so the audience sees the man who is fighting between his role as a machine - the professional and his internal human emotions. His lack of resilance against being bossed into a situation by a 11yr old masquerading as older shows how compliant he began - unable to fully decide his future. Residing in solitude, he acted as the streets' cleaner; underappreciated as he swept up other peoples' issues revolving around fear, money and revenge. This film documents his discovery for vitality.

His main nemesis could have been Mathilda who would soften his heart, yet this motif is only subtle. Really, Leon toughens Mathilda, who is in a state of fragility similar to that of a sloppily made structure. More obviously a nemesis presents himself as a very complex character: the corrupted cop. The hypocrisy of a Drugs Enforcement Officer who himself prepares for killing with pills,  is a foil to Leon's honesty. Gary Oldman, whose performances all evolve through different tones and oclours, is really chilling. The lack of a conscience disturbs many, yet how Oldman is able to conjure up such a human is even worse. For Natalie, all she has to do is watch.

Another contrast is the sexual undertones. Subplots of Mathilda's endeavour into love lace the film like a thorny rose vine. It is ambiguous whether actual sexual passion is felt or is it a combination of Philia - love for Léon as a mentor and acomplice or a replacement paternal figure. Portman has the air of a Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver type of character as she steps tentatively out of the bedroom wearing dark eye makeup and a deep pink dress. There is constantly a cushioning of action happening, yet it is not in a protective, propaganda-esque way (although some scenes were cut for the US audience's response was deep discomfort; the editor responded to the target market's wishes) - it is merely to give the film a depth and character interaction. Underage girls do have relationships with older men and we should not be feared by reality. It was essentially the story of Bresson and his first wife who was 15 at the time.

This is an intreguing film that has not suffered from hype (at least not in my circles of influence). The film bridges the gap between gangster film noir - like Heat, and loud crashy action movies. It even has hints of the french atmosphere constructed so beautifully in films like Amélie.

*****