As soon as I saw Natalie Portman in Leon: The Professional (1994) I knew she was going to be a star. I felt the same way when I saw Lindsey Lohan in the remake of Parent Trap (but Lohan’s career that didn’t turn out the way I thought). Director Luc Besson, best known in the U.S. for the science fiction thriller The Fifth Element, made his American directorial debut with this quirky action movie. An Italian hit man, Jean Reno, finds himself taking care of a young American girl played by the perky Natalie Portman. Natalie is being tracked by a twisted cop, Gary Oldman. Oldman specializes in portraying crazy characters and he’s genuinely evil in this movie. The relationship between Reno and Portman could have been phony or mawkish, but Luc Besson develops a believable rapport between them. If you haven’t seen this gem of an action movie, this Blu-ray version is the way to go!
I thought the same thing. She was very good, almost better than she’s often been since.
Natalie Portman hit it out of the park with her performance in LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, Patti. After that, she’s had an up-and-down career.
I;m a fan of this one, having seen it years ago. My memory must be faulty as I don’t recall it being anything but THE PROFESSIONAL.
Plenty of movie theaters billed this movie as THE PROFESSIONAL, Randy.
Ditto, Randy – I remember it as THE PROFESSIONAL.
George, Jackie was onto Lohan even before PARENT TRAP as she watched the soap ANOTHER WORLD, where Lohan really got her start. Too bad her family and personal demons have taken her down.
Jackie has an eye for talent, Jeff. I never saw Lohan in ANOTHER WORLD. But playing that dual role in PARENT TRAP impressed me. Sadly, her demons have ruined a promising career.
It’s hard to figure out who’s more screwed up–Lindsay Lohan or her parents. I suspect Natalie Portman comes from a more stable family.
You’re right, Deb. Lindsey Lohan’s family seems completely dysfunctional.
A lot of well-known actors launched their careers (or got an early boost) on ANOTHER WORLD, including Morgan Freeman, Kelsey Grammer, Christine Baranski, Anne Heche, Ray liotta, Chris Noth, Jane Krakowski, Ving Rhames, Eric Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick, Janine Turner and, yes, Brad Pitt.
And plenty of actors started out or got a boost on LAW & ORDER, Jeff. Sadly, drama on TV is slowly dying as reality shows take over.
Looks like a good one, George. I’ll have to tell Joe about it.
You and Joe would love LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, Beth. Natalie Portman’s performance is amazing!
It was only released in the U.S. as The Professional. Leon:The Professional is a slightly longer edit and I believe is the European version.
You’re right, Steve. I really enjoyed this Blu-ray version.
It was just Leon in the UK and there were a couple of versions doing the rounds.
The longer one at the art-house cinemas when it first came out and a slightly shorter version when it hit the multiplexes.
There was a comedy called Leon The Pig-farmer around the same time, which may explain the name change in the US.
When I saw the movie back in 1994, it was just THE PROFESSIONAL, Paul. Thanks for clearing up the title confusion.