Leon Analysis

Luc Besson’s Leon is a thriller filmed and released in the 90’s (1994). It is about a professional assassin, played by Jean Reno and is set in a suburban area in America. It also stars Natalie Portman as Matilda and, as the two faced policeman drug dealer, Stansfield played by Gary Oldman.

Unlike a typical thriller, the movie starts off with a point of view shot, giving the audience a sense of what the surroundings are like and where the movie will be set. It is a suburban American city, in a foreign part. The music is non-diegetic and fits in with the scene, it’s very foreign. The camera ends up going into a store. We therefore don’t know who’s point of view this was and it’s all mystical.

The camera then uses extreme close ups on 2 unknown characters. The camera and the lighting only reveals certain features of the characters talking which creates mystery again. A photo is then placed on the table. Like a conventional thriller, a quest has started. The protagonist, Leon, is then given his mission which is a big part of a thriller, a quest. He must kill someone but you’re not told why. This makes the opening scene tense and the audience involved.

In the next scene, the target is introduced. He has several other characters which are his security, meaning he is a very important or wanted person. Leon takes one of them hostage easily and uses them to talk to the man he is trying to kill. This shows that Leon is an experienced killer and this may be his job. He them kills the guard without hesitation. He shows that he is very strong, physically and mentally. This is because he managed to get this guard to do what he wanted him to do, and then he just killed him.

As the scene progresses, the man Leon is trying to kill says ‘this time is serious.’ This could suggest that this happens frequently and that they know of Leon and they know he’s a pro.

Leon uses the guard he killed as a warning and maybe even a distraction. The guards have big machine guns, this shows that they’re used to this and they need a lot of protection because of whom and what could come. One of the guard’s leans over the top of the stairs and out of nowhere, Leon comes. This could surprise the audience and show that Leon is a very skilled killer.

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The scene progresses and Leon makes his way through the guards and manages to trap the man he is trying to kill, physically and mentally. This is because the man is very scared, he is on his guard but must know that he cannot escape from Leon. He therefore stands with his back to the dark with 2 large guns. A heartbeat and music start as he backs towards the door. Leon then just appears out of the dark and slowly draws a knife to the man’s neck. As the switchblade is drawn, the non-diegetic heartbeat and music is stopped almost showing the audience that Leon is in control of the situation. Both Leon’s and the man he is trying to kill faces are lit by a small lamp. Leon provides the message from the man he is doing it for to the man he is trying to kill and backs away into the darkness.

Leon is almost a comedic thriller because of its witty dry humour throughout the opening scenes. The camerawork throughout the opening scene is basic and is edited by just straight cuts. However throughout the opening scenes, Leon’s identity is not revealed, suggesting his identity is secretive.