Leon, the Professional (the Movie)
Leon, the Professional (the Movie) Having premiered sometime in the mid 90’s, this movie has generated so much debate from the critics and supporters camp in equal measure. However, truth be told, this movie is just the bomb. Having a combination of two totally different sides, i.e. the peaceful and violent-packed sides, this movie fuses every bit movie making in an entertaining fashion. Having watched the movie I thought it best to give my side of the story in as far as the debate is concerned. This, I did in the form of a review highlighting various elements that would make one yearn for a second if not more screenings.
A brief plot summary
The plot of this movie is as interesting as it is involving. It majorly involves one family that is involved in some unscrupulous deals with some police officers (Norman Stansfield and his allies) in the DEA department, an immigrant of Italian origin (Leon) who had fled his country after committing a crime and a double faced cop who in the name of protecting the citizens pursues his own ambitions of drug deals. In a drug deal gone sour, the police officer wipes out the whole family safe for a twelve year old girl, Mathilda (Natalie Portman) who is out on shopping. This ultimately makes the poor girl an orphan. Luckily for her she finds refuge in the house of her lonely neighbor, Leon (Jean Reno). His solitary life surprises Mathilda who alongside a flower plant become the only friends he has. We see that the entrance of Mathilda into Leon’s life shapes it up completely. This is in view of the fact that he is forced to change his rather lonely life to accommodate the little girl. In so doing, he is slowly absorbed into the life of fatherhood where he hast o take care of the girl. After realizing that his new partner is a cleaner (hit man), Mathilda seeks to master this art so as to avenge for the death of her younger brother that she really loved. At first Leon refuses to offer such teachings to her but increased persuasion from her side leaves him no option but to teach. Driven with vengeance, Mathilda becomes a cleaner and decides to hit her first target; Stansfield (Gary Oldman). She however fails at it and has Leon to thank as he comes to her rescue in an act that depicts a closer attachment to her. Mathilda overwhelmed by these heroic acts, asks Leon to marry her. He however declines the request on grounds that he is not a perfect lover for her.
The film’s mise in scene
This is actually the aspects of design that movie developer needs to incorporate in the whole process in order to bring out an exquisite outcome. It therefore entails different things among them, the story line, the acting aspect and the cinematography bit. These three aspects integrate together to determine the outcome of the movie
1. Story
The story is actually the block upon which a movie is built. The movie only acts to visualize an author’s idea about an occurrence or happening. It therefore dictates the plot of the movie. The story upon which the movie is created is a captivating ne that embraces the realities that we face in life. This, it brings out by through the many themes that play out in the movie. Themes such as violence, solitude, corruption, redemption and love that characterize our day to day lives are clearly expressed in this movie
2. Acting
This is the actual representation of a story in a visual manner. The acting is top notch. The actors create a clear picture of the world in which we live bound by various activities and limitations. Both the protagonists and the antagonists play their roles so nicely to bring out an interesting conflict of interest. This in turn enriches the plot of the movie.
3. Cinematography
This is the part that involves all the additional effects that capture the acting and puts it into a visual form that helps viewers to synthesize the movie. It involves the lighting system, costume designing, set designing and the camera movement among others. Good cinematography improves the outcome of the movie while poor cinematography would give a bad image to the movie no matter how well the plot and acting would be. Am glad to say in this particular case, the cinematography is excellent.
Director’s style
The director employs a rather independent style that allows viewers to easily follow and pick out the essentials of the movie. This has made it easier for the viewers to understand the plot without referring to the plot summaries and the trailer. The ease with which the viewers have received this movie indicates success on the part of the director as he managed to capture audience.
My view
I would be lying if I said I like the movie because I actually love it. Everyone who participated in the movie production has given it their best. The choice of the soundtracks was perfect as they create the perfect mood for acting the movie. The cinematography, especially in the camera movement and focusing parts are perfect on the very least. The director fuses the different themes in an intricate fashion to create a movie that provides us with a mixture of themes and occurrences. I would recommend anyone who wants an interesting movie for family viewing to try this one out.
