This is a modern fantasy complete with twisted lives, nobility, endangered innocence, self-sacrifice, death, true love, and monstrous evil. If you look very closely, it all dissolves into an unholy mess as did the knight's tales it resembles. But, if you can forget reality and focus on the emotional appeal of the story, Luc Besson's drama rivals the best mythology can offer. It works because the values that help Mathilda and Léon to find redemption are as timeless as the fears that terrify them. Before the film ends, she has helped him care about life again, and he has given her a decent adult she can believe in.
Jean Reno plays a masterful, but childlike hitman who avoids all contact with anyone but his employer. His rules are simple, he will not kill women or kids, he does not get emotionally involved with others, he takes care of himself so that he can do his job, and he takes his responsibilities seriously. His knightly persona is complete with a disregard for money, profound humility, clean living, and a gentle spirit. Reno makes it all work well. Despite his off-handed disregard for human life, Léon is an extremely sympathetic hero.
Natalie Portman, however, steals the show with her portrayal of a willful preteen devastated by the loss of her brother and adrift in a sea of powerful emotions. Incapable or unwilling to face the consequences of her actions, she wants a final end to the turmoil inside her. Portman does an amazing job showing the vulnerable child wanting an adult end to her isolation. Good or bad, her innocence and reckless intensity make the movie work. That Léon sees what is at stake and in his incoherent way tries to keep her safe is the hallmark of his nobility and should speak to everyone who cares about the sanctity of trust.
The only downside to this picture was the stylized and unrealistic enemy. Gary Oldman is a wonderful actor, and the fact that his exaggerated rendition of a corrupt DEA agent comes across as believable is a testament to his skill. In general, his crew comes across as cartoonish at best. Some of the more outrageous scenes include a bad guy preparing himself to stab a mattress, and the horde of skimask-wearing ninja/swat team/jack-booted-thugs who show up near the end. The last time I saw such a ridiculous collection of enforcement personnel was in the "Blues Brothers."
The monstrous evil in this piece is the emotional purgatory that both Mathilda and Léon experience alone. Their journey to unexpected peace is unlike any story I have ever seen. Besson makes you care about the internal lives of his wounded couple by presenting the horror and nobility of their relationship with full intensity. Mathilda's wish to die or find love, Léon's near willingness to kill her or let her kill herself, and their mutual disregard for the killing of others is mind numbing but powerful. Given the context of an uncommunicative killer afraid of involvement, a reckless child, and a lifestyle based on violent confrontation, they have few chances to survive and prosper. The only things they have going for them are Léon's decency and Mathilda's complete faith in him. The fact that faith and decency are enough makes for a first-rate medieval story in modern dress.
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