Indie Gems: Leon: The Professional

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The start of something great.

Little Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is a 12 year old girl living with her shitty drug dealing family. When her father pisses off the wrong cop, Stansfeild (Gary Oldman) he kills her entire family while she's out shopping. She seeks refuge with her strange neighbor, Leon (Jean Reno) who happens to be a hitman. She convinces him to teach her his profession so that she can get revence against Stansfeild for killing her poor 3 year old brother.

Natalie Portman turns in one of the best child performances of all time in this film. The relationship between Mathilda and Leon was sweet and never got into creepy territory like it very well could have. While this film treads in action waters, with Oldman playing a corrupt cop with ease, it still manages to have a lot of heart. I would say this is easily one of the most underrated films of all time.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid" - Mathilda (Natalie Portman)

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