Leon-The Hero
Without Prejudice
In my discourse on movies I forgot to mention my favourite action movie of all time. Leon The Professional. It stars Natalie Portman and Jean Reno. He an Italian hit man and she a 12 year old girl. Its produced by Luc Besson and had to be cut to show in American Cinemas.
Natalie plays Matilda, a girl that seems almost like an orphan from the first frame, cigarette dangling and a tough demeanour that belies her vulnerabilities. Leon is the hit man with a conscience who takes her in after her family is murdered. Gary Oldman plays the villain with a penchant for Amil Nitrate, Beethoven and violence. He is also a Policeman.
The relationship that develops between Leon and Matilda is the basis for the story. He becomes her protector, hero and mentor. She becomes his humanity.
He is reluctant to help her at first and almost kills her in one scene as he doesn't need excess baggage. She is feisty and hurt and asks for his help in one memorable scene from the movie. When the door is opened to her it's almost a miracle and the light shining on her face as his door finally opens almost has a religious feel to it.
Gary Oldman's portrayal as the psychotic bent cop is one of the best characterisations I have ever watched. I am sure he must have added in ad lib some of the twitches and tics that Stanfield, his character is prone too. But the adding serves it's purpose giving a richness and depth to the Man and you are never let know how he is what he is and what he has become.
You have to go out and hire it and watch it and enjoy it. It's a little gory but there are no gratuitous sex scenes and the violence can be over the top, so it's not a Movie for the faint hearted. But it's an important Movie to me. It means family and hero and heroine and as much as Leon protects her she in turn protects Leon. The acting is sublime, the story good and the change we see in the characters as they progress throughout New York is the basis of the story.
I have watched Leon many times now and never fail to see something new.
Nifty Nev, my ex fiance of Irishness took me to see "Art House" movies all the time. He tended to judge people on what they thought of U Turn with Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez. he also laughed at Man In The Moon and I didn't. He introduced me to The Brothers Coen and ever after I remain in constant admiration of their work.
Brother Where Art Thou, I watched again the other night and still laugh at Steve Buscemi's hapless criminal activities. The sound track alone deserves plaudits as does the casting of the characters. The writing and dialogue are inspired. I can't "love" that movie enough. Nev and I prowled Cinema Europa as devotees and I never forget the movie Priest which we saw at the George as Nev spent the entire movie with his face hidden and body slumped. It was his pick and in front of the "in crowd" moaned how it would never ever be shown in Ireland.
He would ear mark movies for us both to watch on Foxtel and I introduced him to Leon and John Ritter in Skin Deep. Skin Deep is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen and one of the rudest and the end scene of the duelling cocks is classic. Sadly John Ritter died at53 and I was of the belief he had just started in movies and it was then all over.
Ask any man what his favourite movie of all time is and The Godfather one and Two will often be the answer. With Godfather Two, just edging out One. Al Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone is an understatement of violence and power. His portrayal of the disillusioned cop in Sea Of Love is perfect and his ads for coffee now are exactly as I expect him to be in real life. A man who has lives, loved and lost and all his life is contained in his voice which age and time can no longer affect.
He is the everyman, the Superman and the bastard, hero and villain, friend and enemy, lover and hater. His voice rich as dark chocolate, profane in it's whisperings and sacred in it's power. I have loved him in most of his movies as I have De Niro. De Niro more of a closed book than Pacino, but his portrayal of Bickle in Taxi Driver is beyond good and remains one of the most powerful characters I have ever seen.
I could go on and on listing movies and I have not even started on the female actors I admire. Meryl Streep in Kramer versus Kramer, Dustin Hoffmann, same. Meryl's agonising decision to leave husband and son is acting at it's best and I find it hard to believe she then goes on to do something as trite as Mumma Mia.
Nicole Kidman is Dead Calm is powerful as was her character in Bangkok Hilton. Long before she went to Hollywood and made mindless pap as in Bewitched. Kathy Bates in Misery, Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza before her laugh and smile were taken over by Hollywood.
In my discourse on movies I forgot to mention my favourite action movie of all time. Leon The Professional. It stars Natalie Portman and Jean Reno. He an Italian hit man and she a 12 year old girl. Its produced by Luc Besson and had to be cut to show in American Cinemas.
Natalie plays Matilda, a girl that seems almost like an orphan from the first frame, cigarette dangling and a tough demeanour that belies her vulnerabilities. Leon is the hit man with a conscience who takes her in after her family is murdered. Gary Oldman plays the villain with a penchant for Amil Nitrate, Beethoven and violence. He is also a Policeman.
The relationship that develops between Leon and Matilda is the basis for the story. He becomes her protector, hero and mentor. She becomes his humanity.
He is reluctant to help her at first and almost kills her in one scene as he doesn't need excess baggage. She is feisty and hurt and asks for his help in one memorable scene from the movie. When the door is opened to her it's almost a miracle and the light shining on her face as his door finally opens almost has a religious feel to it.
Gary Oldman's portrayal as the psychotic bent cop is one of the best characterisations I have ever watched. I am sure he must have added in ad lib some of the twitches and tics that Stanfield, his character is prone too. But the adding serves it's purpose giving a richness and depth to the Man and you are never let know how he is what he is and what he has become.
You have to go out and hire it and watch it and enjoy it. It's a little gory but there are no gratuitous sex scenes and the violence can be over the top, so it's not a Movie for the faint hearted. But it's an important Movie to me. It means family and hero and heroine and as much as Leon protects her she in turn protects Leon. The acting is sublime, the story good and the change we see in the characters as they progress throughout New York is the basis of the story.
I have watched Leon many times now and never fail to see something new.
Nifty Nev, my ex fiance of Irishness took me to see "Art House" movies all the time. He tended to judge people on what they thought of U Turn with Sean Penn and Jennifer Lopez. he also laughed at Man In The Moon and I didn't. He introduced me to The Brothers Coen and ever after I remain in constant admiration of their work.
Brother Where Art Thou, I watched again the other night and still laugh at Steve Buscemi's hapless criminal activities. The sound track alone deserves plaudits as does the casting of the characters. The writing and dialogue are inspired. I can't "love" that movie enough. Nev and I prowled Cinema Europa as devotees and I never forget the movie Priest which we saw at the George as Nev spent the entire movie with his face hidden and body slumped. It was his pick and in front of the "in crowd" moaned how it would never ever be shown in Ireland.
He would ear mark movies for us both to watch on Foxtel and I introduced him to Leon and John Ritter in Skin Deep. Skin Deep is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen and one of the rudest and the end scene of the duelling cocks is classic. Sadly John Ritter died at53 and I was of the belief he had just started in movies and it was then all over.
Ask any man what his favourite movie of all time is and The Godfather one and Two will often be the answer. With Godfather Two, just edging out One. Al Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone is an understatement of violence and power. His portrayal of the disillusioned cop in Sea Of Love is perfect and his ads for coffee now are exactly as I expect him to be in real life. A man who has lives, loved and lost and all his life is contained in his voice which age and time can no longer affect.
He is the everyman, the Superman and the bastard, hero and villain, friend and enemy, lover and hater. His voice rich as dark chocolate, profane in it's whisperings and sacred in it's power. I have loved him in most of his movies as I have De Niro. De Niro more of a closed book than Pacino, but his portrayal of Bickle in Taxi Driver is beyond good and remains one of the most powerful characters I have ever seen.
I could go on and on listing movies and I have not even started on the female actors I admire. Meryl Streep in Kramer versus Kramer, Dustin Hoffmann, same. Meryl's agonising decision to leave husband and son is acting at it's best and I find it hard to believe she then goes on to do something as trite as Mumma Mia.
Nicole Kidman is Dead Calm is powerful as was her character in Bangkok Hilton. Long before she went to Hollywood and made mindless pap as in Bewitched. Kathy Bates in Misery, Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza before her laugh and smile were taken over by Hollywood.
