• Starring: Gary Oldman, Jean Reno, Natalie Portman
  • Summary: A go-for-broke thriller about a professional assassin whose work becomes dangerously personal. Calling himself a "cleaner", the mysterious Leon (Reno) is New York's top hitman. When his next-door neighbors are murdered, Leon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family's sole survivor - 12-year-old Mathilda (Portman), but Mathilda doesn't just want protection; she wants revenge. Training her in the deadly tricks of his trade, Leon helps her track the psychotic agent (Oldman) who murdered her family. (Sony) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Ah, monsieur, you can lead a Frenchman to the Big Apple, but you can't make him a New Yorker -- and that's exactly what makes The Professional so fascinating.
  2. Reviewed by: Lisa Nesselson
    60
    Widescreen lensing favors tight close-ups, and multiple shoot-'em-ups are edited with panache.
  3. Lacks the sexy elan of "La Femme Nikita" and suffers from infinitely worse culture shock. [18 Nov 1994, p.C18]

See all 12 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. 10
    This movie is soo amazing! I **** love it. It's in the top in my list of favorites movies, and I think that is one of the best movies of all times. I saw it like 64165465643 times haha and it always surprise me Expand
    • 4 of 4 users said yes
  2. Hdog
    10
    Absolutely fantastic, the least to say it is by far the best comedy/action/thriller/drama i have ever seen, Oldman is AMAZING, and the performance by Natalie Portman confirms that she is one of the most talented young actress of our time. To everyone that say this movie lacks in realism, that is part of the charm of this movie, just go and see some of Luc Besson's films they are farfetched and wacky and completely awesome, this is a perfect movie for people who are feeling down, its happy and sad at times. Definetly one of the best movies ever made. Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  3. SLevin
    0
    A farfetched, hollow tear-jerker A story so full of holes you could use it to catch fish. The film creators effortlessly skip over the wide gaps in the storyline, and concentrate on the action. Of course, because the movie wants to be deep, they sprinkle some shallow symbols everywhere: the milk, the plant, the youthful pre-teen, the aging killer with a heart of gold. Only missing was the tooth fairy. The plot, with its supposed twist and turns, is familiar to anyone who ever watched a decent French action movie from the last forty or fifty years. Even worse, Leon’s final scene shamelessly adopted from Georges Lautner’s Le Professionnel (1981). Even the action is faulty. The film creators did not care for details: the police tactics are ridiculous, the weapons are as real as plasma gun, and action is pathetically exaggerated. It makes a James Bond movies look great. In sum, this is a presumptuous B-rated action movie that tries to be deep and thoughtful, and ends up being a bleached blond with fake breasts. And it is probably liked by the same people. Expand
    • 0 of 8 users said yes

See all 25 User Reviews

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