Léon: Or, 101 Things to Do With A Potted Plant … !

You know, just every so often — just every-so often, mind — when the Saturday night Movie Gang gets together, we talk about films.

Well, obviously: it’d be pointless calling it it a movie night, otherwise, now, wouldn’t it?

And when Allison, Kevin D, Sarah, Dr Kevin, Movie-Night Adrian and I all get together to natter about what we’re gonna watch of a Saturday night, I always think we’ll be going in one direction.

Which turns out not be where we end up heading.

If that makes sense?

To give you an example, I know I, Kevin D, and Adrian, wouldn’t’ve have minded catching the Duncan Jones directed Moon, tonight.

However, blessing her little purple hairdo, Sarah managed to totter along with a copy of the 1994, Luc Besson directed film, Léon.

A film I definitely think — as did the rest of the gang — is worth catching.

So did Sarah, actually: it was the copy she bought, online, last week, whilst her and Kevin were here.

Which is telling you something for starters: somebody thinks Léon is worth spending money on.

Oh, my word, isn’t it just?

It’s a film that is emotionally very strange …

Strange and riveting to watch: Léon starts by showing us Jean Renoir playing the eponymous Italian hit-man, doing a little job for his boss, Tony, played by Tony Aiello.

And, when he gets home from that, witness the murder of his next door neighbours, by corrupt DEA officer, Stansfield.

All credit to Gary Oldman, there, the guy is seriously underrated!

But here’s the thing, though.

Oldman’s character misses a member of the family: the youngest daughter, Matilda, played by Natalie Portman.

And, my word, it’s hard to belief she did Léon when she was 12, and then ended up in the Star Wars prequels, it really is!

Now, I’ll not go into to many details, here.

Sufficient to say that Leon is an incredibly rich film, with more undertones than you can shake a tree at.

Exactly what is the exact relationship between Léon and Matilda? (I had heard all sorts of stuff about the original French novel that this is based on.)

How much of an examination of things like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is it? (Or possibly even psychosis: I know both Dr Kevin mentioned something that Allison agreed with: that Léon’s inability to feel seemed to help with his profession as a hit-man, and that meeting Matilda definitely affected him and his job performance.)

Is Luc Besson trying to give us more insight to character’s like Léon? (Or Victor, the Cleaner, played by Jean Reno in the Luc Besson directed original version of La Femme, Nikita. Tell me there isn’t a theme, there … )

Who knows.

But I do know one thing.

Léon will definitely catch you attention.