Léon: The Professional (1994)
If you want the job done right, hire a professional.
Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 14 September 1994 |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Action |
| Director | Luc Besson |
| Starring | Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman |
| Runtime | 111 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6.9/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 74% · Metacritic 64/100 · IMDb 8.5/10 · TMDB users 8.3/10 |
| Budget | $16 million |
| Box office | $45 million worldwide |
Where to watch Léon: The Professional
Léon: The Professional is streaming on Tubi in the US.
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What kind of watch this is
Léon: The Professional is a 1994 crime drama where a hitman and a 12-year-old neighbor form an unlikely bond after her family is killed. It runs 111 minutes, a tight duration for a story that moves from quiet apartment life to violent retribution. The tone is dry and precise, treating murder as a job and revenge as a hobby. Jean Reno plays the man who cleans up messes, while Natalie Portman plays the child who decides to make them. Gary Oldman provides the chaos that starts it all. It is a film that finds tenderness in the spaces between violence, and leaves you wondering if the professional was ever the pupil.
What the critics said
Critics were divided, which is fair for a film about a hitman and a child. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 76%, though the audience score soars to 95%. Metacritic lands on 64, a "generally favorable" middle ground. Mark Salisbury of Empire called it "wonderful." Roger Ebert, less charmed, worried the plot exploited the girl's youth. Gene Siskel agreed the tone was off.
How it did with audiences
The film earned $45 million worldwide against a $16 million budget. That is a solid return, though not a phenomenon. In the United States, it took in $20 million. TMDB users rate it 8.3 out of 10. IMDb, using a weighted average as of March 2026, gives it 8.5 out of 10.
What came next for the cast
Gary Oldman moved from Bram Stoker's Dracula to The Dark Knight. Jean Reno traded Nikita for Godzilla. Danny Aiello, already a veteran of The Godfather Part II, kept grinding out solid supporting turns. The credits show the directions they took, but not the cause. One path went up, one went wide, one went sideways.
Where it left its mark
Marc Spitz called it a cult classic in his 2013 memoir. Time Out ranked it the 42nd best action film in 2014, a metric that feels oddly specific for a movie that taught us to watch a hitman water his plant. Gary Oldman’s Norman Stansfield has since joined the pantheon of cinema’s greatest villains, a distinction WhatCulture backed by citing his performance among the most convincing movie psychopaths.
The film’s legacy is now tangled with its creator. Luc Besson met Maïwenn when she was 15; he was 31. They married a year later. After 2018 allegations led to a 2023 court exoneration, Natalie Portman spoke of her complicated feelings regarding the role, which launched her career after Besson cast her despite seeking an older actress.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Léon: The Professional.
Sources
- Léon: The Professional on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q484675 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Léon: The Professional” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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