Conference bookie::movies

704.0. "The Professional" by MDNITE::RIVERS (Whee!) Wed Nov 23 1994 10:46

    The Professional is a film by the director of "La Femme Nikita" (you
    know, about the girl thug turned CIA assassin or something like that). 
    "La Femme" was remade into "Point of No Return" with Brigit Fonda in
    the starring role.  I believe "La Femme" was more highly regarded than
    the American remake, and since "The Professional" is being touted as
    "From the Director of La Femme Nikita", I guess there's a bit of a
    following.  :)
    
    Leon (played by Jean Reno, although I may have misremembered his first
    name) is the consumate hit man.  A "cleaner", as he calls himself. 
    He's very deadly, very efficient, likes to drink a lot of milk, is
    extremely fond of Gene Kelly movies, and has a plant as his best
    friend.  He also has a really cool pair of shades that he wears to
    sleep, sitting up in a chair in the living room of his cruddy New York
    apartment building.
    
    Also in the building is Mathilda, a slightly precocious 12 year old who
    has a thuggish drug dealer for a Dad, a step-mom who looks like a hooker, a
    none-too friendly older half-sister, and a cute 4 year old brother who
    is the only member of the family she likes.  She is also on speaking
    terms with Leon, sorta, since Leon doesnt talk much, but at least
    expresses moderate concern about her well-being.
    
    Unfortunately for Mathilda's family, her dad has double crossed a gang
    of crooked DEA agents, led by Norman (Gary Oldman, in yet another of
    his increasing list of wacky, over the top bad buys).  Norman takes
    great exception to being cheated by Mathilda's dad, and he, along with
    his DEA goons, make their displeasure known by shooting the entire
    family dead.  Except for Mathilda, who has stepped out to the corner
    variety store to pick up some groceries and milk for Leon.  Leon drinks
    a lot of milk. :)
    
    Mathilda arrives back the apartment to see guys with guns hanging out
    there and wisely enough, just keeps walking down the hall and knocks on
    Leon's door as if she lives there, chancing that he will let her in. 
    Leon, who has been observing the gunplay through a hole in his door,
    takes a long time to decide to let her in, but does, just as the bad
    guys realize that they didn't get all the family.   For the moment,
    though, Mathilda is safe.
    
    She discovers, in short time, what Leon does for a living.  Leon, among
    his other traits, is fairly honest -- in fact, Leon struck me as
    something of a Hit man Savant.  Illiterate, really not all that bright,
    he does one thing really, really well and that's kill people ("No
    women, no children", he informs Mathilda, which makes me wondering why
    men are always such acceptable targets.  I mean, if you're gonna kill
    people money, you're morality is already kinda skewed so...well,
    nevermind.).
    
    Mathilda wants to learn how to become a "cleaner", too, so she can hunt
    down the people who killed her little brother.  Leon reluctantly begins
    to show her the ropes.  And in between all this, they sort of bond.
    
    That's the basic plot.  Leon is sort of a hit man nerd, really, Forrest
    Gump with a gun.  Kind of endearing without being, well, endearing. 
    The little girl who plays Mathilda does it well enough to not get on
    your nerves, and even expressed a bit of sexuality as she decides she
    "loves" Leon (he's taken aback by this, so don't worry about kiddie
    porn or nothing).  I believe this whole side of the relationship was
    downplayed/edited from the movie, based on reviews that I've seen and
    the movie that I just saw.  Probably the studio fretting about ratings
    and what not.
    
    There's another familiar faces in there -- Danny Aiello as Big Tony,
    Leon's "boss" who is more than happy to hold onto Leon's money for him
    (at 5K a head, I think Leon is rich :).  The aforementioned Gary
    Oldman, doing his whacked out best.  There's a moodiness and a feel
    that is European, but it's "Americanized" enough not to feel like a
    foreign film.  There's lots of gun play, pretty minimal sex and nudity,
    a few cuss words and even an explosion or two.  All the same, the
    subject matter isn't something I'd take small children to see.  
    
    But adults might very well like it.  I know I want a pair of that guy's
    shades. :)
    
    ***.5 out of ****
    
    
    kim 

    Kim,
    	I heard an NPR interview with the Director of The Professional the 
    other night. He said that he and Jean Reno went to a department store
    and had Reno try on every single pair of sunglasses in the store. 
    It took something like 2 hours. 
    	I believe he said they were Gaultier, but I'm not positive. I do 
    remember that the designer had a French name.
    
    -MC

    Yeah, I heard the same interview.  After I saw the movie, I knew why
    the interviewer had asked about those glasses. :)
    
    
    kim

Siskel and Ebert gave this movie two thumbs WAY down.  FWIW.

-- Nina

A thoroughly entertaining action film.  Much more character development
than the genre usually supports with an isolated and disconnected man
finally finding a person he can care for in the increasingly feral
young girl.  Amusing portrayal of the unique quirks of the main characters.
Some good camera work and lighting adding a beatific aspect to several
important events (perhaps heavyhanded but I appreciated an effort that
Hollywood is incapable of).  The story is not quite as lean as in 'Nikita'
but the development more than compensates in that empathy does develop
for Leon whereas Nikita (the character) always seems rather a brittle
automaton.  (This one is destined for my LD collection and S&E continue
to be the stuff salads are made of....)

One question:  the capsules the Oldman character is taking appear to
be Amyl Nitrate in effect but I can't remember the color scheme.
Can anyone verify?

monty

    I think they were green and yellow.
    
    
    cheers,
    
    kim

    
    Yup -- green and yellow.
    
    I thought this a good little movie.  Tightly plotted, moves right
    along, no slow points.  One or two predictable points about the ending,
    but I can live with that.  I was particularly pleased with the amount
    of subtle characterization through action.
    
    Lets hope Hollywood doesn't feel compelled to remake this, and that it
    leaves Luc Besson to go his own way.
    
    DFW

    For more info, see note 775 about LEON (the professional is called LEON
    in Europe).
    

    We rented this video over the weekend and enjoyed it very much.  For an
    action film, there is more character development than in American
    films.  The film shows the hand of a non-American cinematographer --
    very interesting and different shots.
    
    Given the way the little girl looks, and the way she is trained to be
    a "hit-woman", I wondered if the film was portraying the early life of
    Nikita.

    Re: .8
    
    I doubt it.  Remember, Nikita had to be trained in her new profession.

    
    But she didn't really get all that much training in the movie.
    
    Not much time before LEON got so involved with every cop and DEA agent
    in the city.
    
    ed
    
    PS  Why do they make every cop either stupid or crooked?
    
    ed

    Re: .10
    
    >But she didn't really get all that much training in the movie.
    
    I disagree, if "she" is Nikita.

    FWIW (and it's a bit late now but I've only just joined this
    conference!) I loved this movie, although I found Oldman seemed to
    'overact' his character a bit - it annoyed me. Other than that, not
    much I can say - excellent!
    
    Cheers,
    Dan

I caught this on video over this past weekend, and I was trying to 
think how I could have talked about it without giving away the MAJOR spoiler
that Oldman and Co. were DEA.
Guess I needn't have worried, but I'm glad I didn't read .0 before I rented.

I liked the movie, but I was bothered by the time span.
The whole thing takes less than a month, which is not enough time for me
to accept the level of bonding and training (Mathilda learning to clean
and Leon learning to read!) that occurs.
And Mathilda's family's apartment stay an active crime scene way too long
for my time sense to carry.
I was wondering why her hair wasn't growing, and THEN I find out it's
only been two weeks!

Yeah, it looked a lot like Nikita, but Mathilda wasn't (or won't) be Nikita.

- tom]

    
    re: .13
    
    
    
    >I caught this on video over this past weekend, and I was trying to
    >think how I could have talked about it without giving away the MAJOR
    >spoiler that Oldman and Co. were DEA.
    
    ummm...hide it behind a form feed? Never mind, too late.  :\