This post includes a brief plot summary, an analysis, a review, and an explanation about the ending of the film Léon: The Professional (1994). Beware of spoilers.
Short Review: The film’s aesthetics really stand the test of time, and the action scenes are impeccable. Let’s not forget that we’re talking about a 90s film. Having said that, “Léon: The Professional” doesn’t look outdated at all, as a matter of fact, it still looks “fresh”. Also, the film has one of the most original plots ever: a hitman shelters a girl and makes her his protégé. Hands down, “Léon: The Professional” is a classic.
In a world of black and white morality, “Léon: The Professional” dares to paint in shades of gray. Luc Besson’s 1994 thriller challenges our notions of good and evil. Starring Jean Reno as León, Gary Oldman as Norman Stansfield, and introducing Natalie Portman in her breakout role as Mathilda.
“Léon: The Professional” tells the story of an assassin who becomes an unlikely father figure to a 12-year-old girl.
Léon is a solitary hitman in New York City working for a mobster named Old Tony. Soon his life is about to be turned upside down when he meets his next-door neighbour, Mathilda Landon. She is a rebellious teenager who lived with her troubled family.
Mathilda’s father has been stealing drugs from a corrupt DEA officer, Norman Stansfield, who is not very happy about it. In a brutal turn of events, Stansfield and his “gang” murder the entire Lando family, except for Mathilda, who wasn’t home at the time.
When Mathilda returns to the apartment building, she knows that something terrible has just happened. Out of desperation, she knocks on Léon’s apartment. Although the hitman was hesitant, he eventually let her in. After learning what Léon does for a living, the girl begs him to teach her how to kill so she can take revenge on Stansfield.
Léon teaches Mathilda how to “clean” and during their time together, the two form an unusual bond. After gaining some skills, Mathilda decides to confront Stansfield herself, but she gets ambushed. Léon rushes in to save her, taking out several of Stansfield’s men along the way.
Although Mathilda and Léon manage to escape, Stansfield is determined to hunt them down. During the final showdown, the hitman uses his grenades to “wipe out” Stansfield. The decision cost his life but saved Mathilda’s.
After Léon’s death, Mathilda approaches Old Tony for help but decides to go back to school instead. The ending shows Mathilda planting Léon’s beloved houseplant in the schoolyard as a tribute and moving on to start a new path in life.
“Léon: The Professional” is not a romantic love story.
Up to this day, “Léon: The Professional” is subject to criticism, not because it’s a bad film but due to people’s views on the protagonists’ relationship. Some folks prefer to sexualize Mathilda instead of seeing her as a child. Nonetheless, like any piece of art, things are open to interpretation.
There are a couple of moments where Mathilda expresses her “love” for Léon, though he never reciprocates (in a romantic way). Throughout the film, it’s clear that both develop a very strong bond, but that doesn’t mean the two are in love.
Let’s take a closer look at the scene where Mathilda shows up in a bra while singing Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. Some might say that the scene sexualizes a young girl because it’s showing her with less clothing. But that’s not the only interpretation for it.
Madonna is a pop culture icon known for her provocative image. Having said that, Mathilda wasn’t trying to make “sexual advances” on Léon, she was impersonating a character.
Furthermore, when Mathilda asked Léon to be her first, she wasn’t “in love” with him. What Mathilda feels for Léon is a mix of admiration, gratitude, and maybe some curiosity. As a teenager, she is also exploring her environment and testing boundaries.
If neither has true romantic feelings towards each other, then what is going on between them?
Mathilda’s and Léon’s connection is about survival and care more than anything else.
When Mathilda knocked on Léon’s door, her life was in his hands. Had the hitman not opened his door to her, Mathilda would be pretty much dead. Having said that, Mathilda feels a lot of gratitude towards Léon. He was basically the only person on the planet that showed some compassion when she needed it the most.
Léon said himself that Mathilda gave him a taste of what life could be like. Before having her in his life, Léon was pretty much on autopilot: “clean” the people on Tony’s list, get the money, and go back to sleep.
Aside from “cleaning” people every now and then, Léon didn’t have anything exciting going on in his life. Something to look forward to. Léon’s life changed when he met Mathilda. She showed him the small joys of being alive, not just existing.
Léon agreed to teach Mathilda how to “clean” because he saw a piece of his younger self in her.
The hitman once had a regular life. However, things took a nasty turn when he saw his first love being killed by her own father. In order to seek some type of justice for his late girlfriend, Léon decided to murder the ruthless man. So, in a way, Léon understands Mathilda’s desire to avenge her family for what happened.
Léon and Mathilda are survivors, that’s why their bond grew so strong. The trauma of witnessing the death of his first love still haunts Léon, given that he hasn’t dated other women since the incident.
As for Mathilda, she had her entire family killed by Stansfield. At a very young age, Matholda had to deal with being alone in the world, and the only person who helped and cared for her, ironically, was a stranger. Both individuals had to endure very traumatic experiences from a young age.
The main reason why Léon hesitated to open the door was anonymity. As a hitman, the last thing that he needs is a corrupt DEA officer putting a target on his back. Léon didn’t want to get into any trouble because of someone else.
Nevertheless, the hitman’s human side spoke louder and let Mathilda in. The child slowly “grew on” him. The two sort of complement each other. Mathilda brings a certain sense of “normalcy” to his life, and Léon acts like a mentor and father figure to Mathilda.
Léon truly loved Mathilda, otherwise, he wouldn’t have sacrificed himself for her.
The last words that Léon uttered to Mathilda were, “I love you.” As mentioned before, Léon loves Mathilda, but he’s not “in love with her”. The hitman feels a great deal of responsibility towards this child.
Léon risked his life twice to save Mathilda. The first time happened when he opened the door for her. The second and last time was his final confrontation with Stanley. Having said that, this love that Léon feels for Mathilda is very similar to what a father feels for his child.
As a hitman, Léon knew that his chances of getting away (alive) from that situation were very slim. He also knew that Mathilda would not leave the building without him, so he said those last words to comfort her.
Léon’s love for Mathilda is very real.
Ever since the hitman met the child, he made her his priority. In the end, Léon risked everything to make sure that Mathilda would live another day. And that is true love.
The ending of “Léon: The Professional” reaches a bittersweet climax where Léon dies but Mathilda gets to have a second chance in life.
For a split second, Luc Besson “tricks the audience” into believing that the story would have a happy ending, only to be hit with the opposite. Léon doesn’t make it to Tony’s, failing his promise to Mathilda.
Nevertheless, Léon did not die in vain, he took Stansfield with him. The film has one of those happy-sad endings. On one hand, there is a certain sense of closure: the bad guy got what he deserved. But then anger and sadness set in because now Léon is no longer alive and Mathilda is alone again.
It would’ve been really terrible if Stansfield actually got away with his heinous crimes, but Léon is smarter than the corrupt DEA agent. The hitman already knew that people like Stansfield like to “play dirty”, so that grenade vest was his safeguard. If Léon didn’t make it, Stansfield wouldn’t either. Mathilda ends up having her revenge after all, but at a very expensive cost: León’s life.

The plant in “Léon: The Professional” is a representation of the protagonist: it has no roots.
As a hitman, Léon spends a lot of his time alone. In addition, the man doesn’t have a particular place to call home since he’s on the constant move. Having said that, the plant doesn’t grow roots because whenever Léon moves to a new location, it needs to move too.
Before Léon met Mathilda, the hitman didn’t have someone to care for. As a result, the plant became a substitute for that human bond that Léon needed in his life. Whenever the hitman took time to take care of the plant, he was actually taking a break from his routine: caring instead of taking (lives).
Why did Mathilda keep the plant and decide to plant it in the school’s backyard? First, she sees it as something that can remind her of Léon, like a memento. Second, both Léon and Mathilda discussed the importance of giving the plant roots so it can grow.
Final Thoughts
One word to describe “Léon: The Professional”? Amazing. Timeless. Heartbreaking. Please forgive me for using three words to describe the film instead of one. It’s too hard to describe the whole experience in a single word.
In my opinion, the love that Léon feels for Mathilda is real and untainted. The actors who played them were flawless in their performances. Jean Reno was the personification of cool and weird. Meanwhile, Natalie Portman gave the human touch that the film needed to be believable. By the way, let’s not forget about the villain. Gary Oldman was terrifying (in the best way possible) as the unhinged DEA officer.
“Léon: The Professional” has one of those stories that makes you think about life and choices. Had Léon not opened the door, Mathilda’s fate would’ve been very different. She would be dead, but Léon would be able to continue with his life. But would the man be really better off if he hadn’t met Mathilda?
Overall, “Léon: The Professional” is an unforgettable cinematic experience. The film might not be for everyone. As I said before, different people will read the story differently. Some will condemn the leads’ relationship and call it “inappropriate”, while others will just see two people trying to do their best to survive in a very corrupt world.
Final Rating: 🍎🍎 (Very Good)