*WARNING: contains spoilers*
Tonight, Astor Theatre is retelling the story of a wandering assassin. Leon (brilliantly played by Jean Reno) befriends Mathilda (melancholically portrayed by Natalie Portman), a neglected girl whose parents have been killed by Stansfield (Gary Oldman): a crazed, corrupt law enforcer from whom they have stolen drugs. After her parents are killed, Mathilda seeks counsel in and protection from Leon, who teaches her the tricks of his vigilante trade. Together, in the thick of New York’s lonely cityscape, they develop a close bond. Brilliantly shot and poetically told, Luc Besson’s The Professional (1994) still has a rhythmic quality to its narrative and aesthetics. The film has a distinctly European feel, despite being set in New York. This is, without doubt, a symptom of its French production and American casting and setting.
Reno is still fantastic as Leon: brooding and laconic, quietly misanthropic. In his lonely regime of exercise, gardening and Gene Kelly film watching, we, as the audience, seek to understand his lonesome, brilliant vigilantism. Reno delivers the complexity and anonymity of his character quite well. In Mathilda, Leon sees hope, a rare spark in Little Italy’s corrupt community. Besson’s narrative, however, is a little too sentimental at times. Leon’s epic death at the film’s conclusion and the overtly symbolic pot plant motif throughout the film remain a little clichéd. Does Besson deliberately feed his audience with obvious symbolism? The answer, some would argue, remains debatable. Whilst Besson’s attempts at over-symbolising are a little pretentious, they narrowly evade failure because of the film’s casting quality, probably amongst the best of any action film ever made. Oldman is still memorable as Stansfield: psychotic, under the influence and cool. To put it lightly: awesome! Stansfield kills at will; he hunts down Mathilda’s parents for drugs with an intense sense of selfishness and carelessness. If we rewind back to Oldman performances shortly before Besson’s film, we can see his natural talent for playing characters of doom and gloom. Drexel Spivey in True Romance (1992), Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy (1986) and Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) are just some examples. Oldman’s colourful, psychotic portrayal in Besson’s film, however, is just one positive that helps to preserve this film’s excellence. For instance, Portman is great as Mathilda also: innocent and broken, forced to grow up early after her parents are killed. She is a victim of abuse that grows in confidence with Leon’s guidance. Portman is excellent in her vulnerability, believable in her affection for her master. Her aptitude in roles of quiet, beautiful, troubled women is obvious in other film roles, such as Closer (2004) and V for Vendetta (2005). Her character’s fragility in The Professional, however, is something that is also symptomatic of Besson’s directorial style too. Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) in The Fifth Element (1997), for instance, shares Mathilda’s fragile femininity and echoes Besson’s interest in this theme of femininity in crisis. Nevertheless, Mathilda’s character is still an interesting one after so many years. She embodies the convergence of the coming-of-age and vigilante narratives. Her status as the problematic, young vigilante makes her character all the more diverse, interesting and successful. Besson’s blend of youth with antiheroism works well in his film, but it is a formula that continues to work in the wider sphere of cinema too, as can be seen in films as recent as Kick-Ass (2010) and flicks as old as Hard Candy (2005). Solid performances, however, by Italian-American actors Danny Aiello and Michael Badalucco also help to add to the film’s criminal quality.
Whilst The Professional is a richly shot action-thriller and a successful adaptation of Besson’s film Nikita (1990), the narrative is still overly sentimental in parts. The film’s fusion of buddy film qualities with narratives of vigilantism, however, saves the story and still proves quite entertaining and complex after nearly two decades. Cheers Astor!
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