Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) made his American directorial debut with this stylized thriller about a French hit man (Jean Reno) who takes in an American girl (Natalie Portman) being pursued by a corrupt killer cop (Gary Oldman). Oldman is a little more unhinged than he should be, but there is something genuinely irresistible about the story line and the relationship between Reno and Portman. Rather than cave in to the cookie-cutter look and feel of American action pictures, Besson brings a bit of his glossy style from French hits La Femme Nikita and Subway to the production, and the results are refreshing even if the bullets and explosions are awfully familiar. --Tom Keogh

uuid:	D02FD846-0587-4D2D-A682-DE1201C03A86
upc:	0043396098589
title:	Leon - The Professional
theatricalDate:	18-11-1994
stars:	Jean Reno Gary Oldman Natalie Portman
purchase date:	03-07-2005
publisher:	Columbia Tristar Hom
published:	11-01-2005
price:	$24.96
net Rating:	4.5
MPAA Rating:	Unrated
minutes:	133
last lookup time:	142115552
genre:	Thrillers Action & Adventure Romance Drama Buddy Films Coming of Age
fullTitle:	Leon - The Professional (Deluxe Edition)
features:	Color Closed-captioned Widescreen Dolby DTS Surround Sound
edition:	Deluxe
director:	Luc Besson
currentValue:	$11.25
created:	142115504
country:	us
aspect:	DVD
asin:	B0006GVJEE