ABSTRACT
Luc Besson's Leon was first released in November 1994 in the USA and in January 1995 in the UK. It received a mixed critical reaction in both countries, with some critics highlighting the film's 'Frenchness' and thus its less clichéd take on the hitman thriller, others expressing anxieties at the subject matter – the relationship between a twelve-year-old girl and a forty-year-old man – some describing the subject matter as 'brave' and 'interesting', and others being openly hostile. In the film, professional assassin Leon (Jean Reno) reluctantly takes care of Mathilda (Natalie Portman), a neighbour whose father, stepmother, stepsister and brother are killed by a corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent called Stansfield (Gary Oldman). The film titillates us with Leon and Mathilda's platonic relationship as she does housework in a skimpy tee shirt that emphasizes her budding breasts and plots revenge on her family's murderers'.
