Leon

Understand, Leon is not a common hitman. He practices his work like a martial art, and leads a humble life. The only posession that he seems to carry with him, beyond the tools of his trade, is a small houseplant.

The film is about his relationship with a girl he looks after, when her family is killed in a Drug Related Incident.

Released in North America as "The Professional", the international version was simply known as "Leon" and was approximately 20 minutes longer. It included footage of a few scenes, including the following:

• Mathilda pointing a gun to her head and threatening to kill herself if Leon doesn't help train her.
• Leon taking Mathilda on hits in order to train her in the ways of the assassin. Mathilda assists Leon by knocking on the door of the intended target's home and pretending to be a lost girl. When the door is opened, Leon steps in and takes care of business.
• Mathilda getting drunk on champagne in a fancy restaurant and pleading with Leon to kiss her.
• Mathilda getting dressed provacatively and telling Leon that she understands that "it'll hurt the first time". Leon again rejects this advance and tells her his story of how he came to Americaafter a broken heart.

According to director Luc Besson, he didn't mind at all making the cuts to the film for a North American audience because he understood the environment here probably wouldn't be as open to these themes as people would elsewhere. Plus, he had a great relationship with the producers so he had no arguments with them on this particular case.

Oops...I should also point out that this is Natalie Portman's on-screen debut.

Le"on (?), n.

A lion.

Chaucer.

© Webster 1913.