Léon: The Professional

Léon (released in the United States as The Professional originally and then as Léon: The Professional) is a 1994 French English-language action-thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman in her feature film debut. The plot centers on Léon (Reno), an Italian-American professional hitman who reluctantly takes in twelve-year-old Mathilda Lando (Portman) after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship as she becomes his protégée and learns the hitman's trade. The film was released in France by Gaumont Buena Vista International on 14 September 1994 and received mostly positive reviews from critics.