User blog:ARTaylor/25 Years of Léon: The Professional

Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the American release of Léon: The Professional. The film follows twelve year-old Mathilda whose family is murdered by a corrupt DEA agent and is taken in by a professional hitman who teaches her the tools of the trade.

The film proved to be a significant hit at the box office compared to its modest budget. It received positive critical praise and won several awards. The film has since become a cult classic and has ranked among the best action movies. It proved to be a major break for much of the cast and crew who would go on to numerous other hit movies. It has since been referenced numerous times in popular culture.

The film features the talents of Natalie Portman in her first major acting role as Mathilda. It was during the making of this movie that she took her grandmother's maiden name as her stage name. The film also saw numerous changes due to objections by Portman's parents before letting her sign onto the role. A sequel was written for her character and waited until she was older to film. However, when original director Luc Besson left to start his own production company the original company refused to give it to anyone else.