Leon the Professional is not a film that I thought I would ever watch, let alone hear about it. Until, very recently, that is. I had a friend suggest that I watch the film, given it starred Natalie Portman (of V for Vendetta fame, in my eyes), and that I hadn't seen it.
Furthermore, it was one of the first films she had a role in, and its startling to see just how mature of an actress Portman was, even from an early age.
Leon the Professional is a story about an assassin, Leon (Jean Reno) who takes Portman, Mathilda under his wing after quietly witnessing the brutal raid that happens to her home while she's out getting milk.
What happens next is a bizzare coming of age tale where Mathilda learns about what it takes to be an assassin in New York City.
It's an action film, with elements of thriuller, and touches upon the corruption in the world's police forces, as well as exploring the notion (although in a fairly shallow way), or what a Stoic, lying assassin girl could do to that landscape.
(As it turns out, not a lot, but she has a hell of a journey along the way).
Portman is what drew me to this film, the Director (Luc Besson) is what drove me to write this post. Responsible for The Fifth Element, Lucy, and a few other films I've enjoyed, its startling (and surprising to know) how much cinema is out there that I haven't yet enjoyed.
In a bid to increase the drama in my photographic work, I think that I will be watching many more films this year in a bid to understand the language of the image better, to produce stronger, more striking images.
I am quietly setting a target of a film a week for this year. Visually, there wasn't much in this to inspire me, but the youthful, stoic assassin that Portman portrays made for an interesting archetype.