Skip over navigation

Gifts  |   Help   |   Sign in

Leon (1994) Certificate 18

Leon

Sign up

Rated 4.0 stars
Average rating
(81%)
 
Starring: Gary Oldman | Jean Reno | Natalie Portman | Peter Appel | Danny Aiello
Director: Luc Besson
Studio: OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time: 109 mins
Collections: 100 must-see movies | Ezio's Top 10
Genres: Action/Adventure | Thriller
Languages: English
Hearing-impaired: English
Subtitles: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Freek, Icelandic
Released: (unknown)

A murder on the streets of New York leads to a deadly game of cat and mouse while an orphaned twelve-year-old girl becomes caught in the middle...

Screenshots

Radio Times

French director Luc Besson followed his international hit Nikita with his first American-set movie, Leon, a haunting and compulsive thriller that explores the relationship between the emotionally stunted hitman of the title and his 12-year-old neighbour, Mathilda. The illiterate, milk-drinking, Sicilian loner (Jean Reno) is reluctantly forced to befriend and protect the girl, played by Natalie Portman, after her family is wiped out in a horrific drugs operation led by Gary Oldman, an utterly corrupt DEA agent. Leon ends up teaching Mathilda the tricks of his trade so that she can take revenge on the deranged cop. The two masterly central performances from Reno and Portman intelligently convey how Leon's carefully constructed, reclusive existence falls apart as he lets feelings enter his life for the very first time. But it's the ultra-stylish action scenes and the series of totally breathtaking set pieces, interspersed with a provocative streak of dark humour, that propel Leon into the suspense stratosphere as Besson redefines the action genre. Funny, tragic, brilliant and unmissable.

Highest rated reviews

131 out of 142 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Brilliant

A Customer from Brixton, 15th September, 2003

A film about an elderly hitman who takes a 12 year old orphan girl under his wing, sparking an ambiguous relationship in which the pair co-habit and, among other things, play 'dress-up' - in today's climate, Daily Mail readers would probably have raised an uproar. However, despite the deliberately blurred boundaries which exist between the central couple, this film is exceptionally touching, and both lead performances are incredibly moving and sympathetic.

As the eponymous Leon, Jean Reno convinces as both a fumbling man-child with no social skills, and a clinically effective hitman, performing jobs with a lethal detachment. Luc Besson handles the mix between action and burgeoning relationship with great skill, and the final third of the film has an unforgettable emotional punch.

Read all highest rated reviews

55 out of 73 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 3.0 stars
So mixed

Ryan151 from from CANTERBURY, 13th January, 2007

Gary Oldman is brilliant in this, and so is Jean Reno, in fact young Natalie Portman does a great job to.... BUT (yeah it was coming) this film made me feel uncomfortable the whole way through. It seemed to always be on the verge of turning into a paedophilic flick! The relationship between Portman and Reno is just.....wrong! Yet at the same time, it's a good film. Very mixed emotions about this one!

Read all highest rated reviews

39 out of 43 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
Tres bon!

younglochinvar from from Prestatyn, 18th September, 2007

Jean Reno excels in the greatest hitman movie of all time accompanied by an amazing score.

Read all highest rated reviews

24 out of 24 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 5.0 stars
A beautiful love story

JoeBlack from London, 11th July, 2004

No competition for Erich Segal but one of the most touching action movies and love stories. If you appreciate Luc Besson's movies this one is a must-see. Start with this version, then try to get hold of the Uncut International Version, released in the U.S. (not the European), with a running time of 133 mins. and great additional footage! You will love it even more.

Read all highest rated reviews

Most recent reviews

Rated 5.0 stars
Leon, Great Film 5 Stars

andya8 from , 21st August, 2010

Fantastic! This film is everything an action packed craver wishes for, it has everything from creativity to a great storyline. I highley reccomend this film to anyone, but especially if your interested in action and weapy storylines. This film has that feeling you get from films such as The bourne series, It takes you in with a mix of action and story. great film!

Read all recent reviews

Rated 4.5 stars
Brilliant mix of U.S and French cinema

Marvuso from , 26th July, 2010

This to me is an all time classic, Jean Reno and Natalie Portmann put on a brilliant and uncomfortable at times performance. Start to finish the film is oozing French chic and American styled action. If you like the sound of those two elements combined then this film is worth a watch.

Read all recent reviews

Rated 5.0 stars
The hitman and her...

PJshadow from , 26th July, 2010

When milk drinking, plant loving, assassin Leon's next door neighbours are slaughtered by Gary Oldman he reluctantly finds himself in custody of their surviving 12 year old daughter. Natalie Portman makes her screen debut as the vengence seeking schoolgirl. The heartwarming, often comedic, and occassionally uncomfortable relationship between herself and Leon is at the heart of the film's genius. Jean Reno puts in a magically quirky performance as the title character and Gary Oldman's corrupt DEA agent is manically evil. A killer film.

Read all recent reviews

Rated 4.5 stars
This is seriously good

roncoach from , 17th July, 2010

I did not know the skill of Jean Reno------and I did not know the skill of his director ( Luc Besson). I KNOW NOW. This is a compelling film, one of those 2 or 3 that come along every year that restore your faith in the direction in which movies are heading. All the right ingredients, all the right technical aspects, all the right buttons pressed. In the 'crime/thriller' genre , this film ranks high over several decades. There is also a special performance from a child actress. A 'must-see', particularly if you enjoy this genre........but also even if you don't ! Four and a half stars from me ( who reserves 5 stars for Gone With The Wind, Sullivan's Travels, Adventures of Robin Hood, Shawshank Redemption and Butch Cassidy,etc means that I rate this film !!

Read all recent reviews

Check out...

Subscribers who liked this DVD also liked...

Nikita
Nikita

Ronin
Ronin

Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible