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.
Like Quentin Tarantino, Besson has a singular style and directorial sensibility that keeps you watching.
– Jeff Shannon,
Seattle Times,
4 Jun 2014
rotten:
The Professional is strictly amateur-hour.
– Jay Boyar,
Orlando Sentinel,
4 Jun 2014
rotten:
The sheer craziness and excessiveness of the movie -- no crazier, perhaps, than many of the American action movies it copies -- never finds a center of gravity.
– Michael Wilmington,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Jun 2014
fresh:
Ultimately, like La Femme Nikita, there may be less here than meets the eye. But what does meet the eye is pretty darn thrilling.
– Steven Rea,
Philadelphia Inquirer,
4 Jun 2014
fresh:
Leave it to french writer-director Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita) to put a kinky twist on Orphan Annie and Daddy Warbucks.