--- title: "Léon: The Professional: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/leon-the-professional/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/leon-the-professional" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Léon: The Professional (1994): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 9 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come down in favour of Léon, and the praise gathers in the same places. Luc Besson’s direction is called stylish and visually striking, with the photography singled out more than once. The three leads are the other constant: Jean Reno’s lonely hitman, Natalie Portman’s sharp-tongued Mathilda in her debut, and Gary Oldman’s lurid, energetic turn as the psychotic DEA agent. Several reviews are surprised to find the friendship at the centre moving. The reservations sit almost entirely on the child. The spread is wide: two American critics writing on release, at RogerEbert.com and the Los Angeles Times, regard putting a twelve-year-old at the heart of a slick urban thriller as exploitation, the latter in the strongest terms. Others find the relationship stays just the right side of creepy. Gratuitous violence and an improbable plot are noted but forgiven. Later British reviews are the warmest, and The AV Club argues the uncut version is the stronger film. ## Empire — Mark Salisbury Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises Besson's stylish and visually striking direction in this tale of a hitman who takes in a young orphan, noting the emotional depth that emerges from their relationship. Performances by Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman are highlighted as standouts amid the film's improbable plot and moral ambiguities. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/leon-review/) ## The AV Club — Joshua Klein Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The uncut version of the film is stronger overall, a mix of modern action tropes and touchy subject matter reminiscent of the French New Wave with extra squibs. The central relationship between the hitman and the young girl, along with strong casting of Reno, makes it memorable despite its complexities. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/leon-the-professional-dvd-1798195049) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 1995. The critic finds Luc Besson's Leon uneven and gratuitously violent but notes its many plusses, including the intense Jean Reno as a lonely hit-man, newcomer Natalie Portman as the sassy smart-talker, Gary Oldman impersonating Dennis Hopper, and bright-eyed photography. It marks the first time since his debut The Last Battle that Besson has displayed a hint of heart. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/choice-1572214.html) ## The New York Times — Joan Dupont Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 September 1994. The piece describes an unlikely relationship between the hit man Leon and the savvy 12-year-old Mathilda in a French fable blending gory action in the Tarantino vein with poetic sentiment. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/23/style/IHT-the-movie-guide-leon.html) ## The Times — Ed Potton Rating ★★★★☆. 8 November 2019. Luc Besson’s first English-language hit is less than subtle yet stylish, disturbing and weirdly moving. The central friendship between the hitman and the girl stays just the right side of creepy, while Gary Oldman delivers a memorably lurid turn as the psychotic DEA agent. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/leon-1994-less-than-subtle-but-stylish-disturbing-and-weirdly-moving-hwjzc6j8z) ## Variety — Lisa Nesselson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 September 1994. The review sees Besson delivering a naive fairy tale splattered with blood; the mix of cynicism and sentiment may ring hollow to sophisticates but could play well to general audiences, with strong visuals carrying the story. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/the-professional-1200438505/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 1994. The critic finds the film well-directed with a charged visual style and well-acted, but is troubled by placing a 12-year-old in the center of the slick urban thriller action, which seems to exploit her youth without fully addressing it. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-professional-1994) ## Los Angeles Times — Peter Rainer Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 1994. The critic calls the film a vile exercise in Hollywood amoralism that goes straight for the smarm, with violence as a turn-on and a neglected child displayed as a moppet in an exploitative setup. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-11-18-ca-64074-story.html) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4 out of 5. 7 February 2014. The critic praises the film as a memorable, superbly made action drama even 20 years on, highlighting the warmth and sensitivity of the lead performances by Jean Reno as the lonely hitman Leon and Natalie Portman in her debut as Mathilda. Gary Oldman’s energetic turn as the villain Stansfield is also singled out as unforgettable. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/leon-the-professional-20th-anniversary-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/leon-the-professional.md