One of the best (and most controversial) action movies of all time is now available to stream for free. Directed by Luc Besson, Léon: The Professional stars Jean Reno as the titular hitman (known in the movie as a “cleaner”) who reluctantly takes a 12-year-old girl with revenge on her mind under his wing.
The action thriller is now considered one of the best of all time, and boasts a stellar breakout performance from Academy Award winner Natalie Portman as the young Mathilda, an endearingly awkward performance from Jean Reno as the lonely assassin, and a wild and wonderful performance from Academy Award winner Gary Oldman. Seriously, the latter devours every piece of scenery that he can. Léon: The Professional is now available to stream for free with ads on Tubi, and you can check out the official synopsis for the action outing below.
“Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is only 12 years old, but is already familiar with the dark side of life: her abusive father stores drugs for corrupt police officers, and her mother neglects her. Léon (Jean Reno), who lives down the hall, tends to his houseplants and works as a hired hitman for mobster Tony (Danny Aiello). When her family is murdered by crooked DEA agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman), Mathilda joins forces with a reluctant Léon to learn his deadly trade and avenge her family’s deaths.”
Léon: The Professional Has Become Even More Controversial Over Time
Released back in 1994, Léon: The Professional was met with positive reviews from critics and stands at a “Certified Fresh” rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, though, are even more enamored with this oddly affecting tale of a hitman and his (too) young protégé. A sequel was once on the cards, with director Luc Besson writing a script titled Mathilda about a much older version of the character who has now become a “cleaner.” However, the follow-up never happened, with Besson instead reworking the script into the 2011 action thriller Colombiana starring Zoe Saldaña as a killer seeking vengeance.
While Léon: The Professional was always seen as being controversial due to the Lolita-like relationship between the title character and Mathilda, this controversy has only grown over the years. Besson was accused of sexual assault in 2018 by his ex-wife, who was just 16-years-old when the couple were together during the filming of Léon. She has even stated that, “When Luc Besson did Léon, the story of a 13-year-old girl in love with an older man, it was very inspired by us.”
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Natalie Portman recently reflected on the movie with a more modern, critical eye. She said back in 2020 during an appearance on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast:
“I was definitely aware of the fact that I was being portrayed … as this ‘Lolita’ figure. Being sexualized as a child, I think took away from my own sexuality because it made me afraid, and it made me [feel] like the way I could be safe was to be like, ‘I’m conservative,’ and ‘I’m serious and you should respect me,’ and ‘I’m smart,’ and ‘don’t look at me that way.’”