Léon: The Professional: Difference between revisions

** Given [[Asshole Victim|the sort of lowlifes]] that would require Léon's cleaning services in the first place, it's likely a case of [[Gray and Gray Morality]].

* [[Air Vent Passageway]]: This trope is subverted: Léon shoots and hacks out the hotel's ventilator fan so Mathilda can slide down to ground level, but there's not enough room for him.

* [[Asshole Victim]]: Mathilda's parents and older sister fall under this trope.

* [[Ax Crazy]]: While ostensibly the leader of the corrupt cops, Stansfield is so psychotic, his second-in-command has to take charge when he becomes too wrapped up in slaughter.

* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: Stansfield is rather eccentric, to say the least: he discusses classical music during hits, is careless about where he points his gun, and frequently switches from absolute calm to screaming rage and back.

* [[Camping a Crapper]]: {{spoiler|Mathilda tries to ambush Stansfield in the restroom, but Stansfield is hiding behind the door instead of sitting in one of the booths.}}

* [[Cassandra Truth]]: This trope is inverted. The headmistress of the orphanage doesn't believe Mathilda's story about her parents being killed in a car crash, but does believe the story about living with a hitman and being chased by corrupt DEA agents.

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: The "Ring Trick" [[foreshadow|foreshadows]] the very end of the film. (The American theatrical cut doesn't feature the set-up, effectively averting the trope).

* [[Celibate Hero]]: Léon hasn't had a girlfriend since his first love was murdered.

* [[Companion Cube]]: The plant is Léon's "best friend".

* [[Cool Shades]]: Léon's trademark killing ensemble includes a pair of vintage 1990's round sunglasses.

* [[Crapsack World]]: [[New York City]] in the 1990s is not a happy place.

** Léon refuses to take jobs which involve killing women or children.

** Léon also refuses to take Mathilda on the job at the end as it is "too big" - he knows she won't stand a chance.

* [[Executive Veto]]: The American theatrical version of the film cut certain shocking or morally gray scenes of the film, including the most [[Lolicon]]-ish aspects of the Léon/Mathilda relationship and scenes of Mathilda accompanying Léon on his assassinations. These cuts change the film's characterizations drastically: in the edited version, Mathilda remains far more pure and {{spoiler|ends the film without blood on her hands, allowing her to return to a reasonably normal life}}, but in the unedited version, she's helped kill over a dozen people (which doesn't fit with her hesitation to kill Stansfield nor her apparent rehabilitation at the end). It totally fits the end. She is an amoral manipulator.

* [[Fake Nationality]]:

{{spoiler|'''Stansfield:'''}} "Shit..." }}

* [[Faux Action Girl]]: Mathilda turns out to be this, but only because Stansfield stops her before she gets a chance to pull a weapon.

* [[Fluffy the Terrible]]: Léon is this -- at least, according to Mathilda:

{{quote|'''Mathilda''': "What's your name?"

* [[Gun Porn]]

* [[He Knows Too Much]]: The night after Léon takes Mathilda into his home, he's staring at the ceiling while she's asleep -- before he leaps up, attaches a silencer to his pistol, and places the gun against Mathilda's head. Despite knowing the burden she'll be on him, Léon [[Even Evil Has Standards|can't pull the trigger]] -- and depending on the interpretation, this might have been an aborted [[Mercy Kill]] instead.

* [[Hypocritical Humor]]:

{{quote|'''Léon:''' "Stay away from him, he looks like a weirdo.}}

* [[IKEA Weaponry]]: Léon's {{spoiler|paintball}} sniper rifle counts.

* [[Instant Marksman, Just Squeeze Trigger]]: This trope is played straight.

* [[Jumped At the Call]]: Mathilda shows particular zeal for avenging her innocent brother.

* [[Jurisdiction Friction]]: The NYPD is not happy about the slaying of an entire family with no explanation (other than the DEA saying they were doing their job).

* [[Pet the Dog]]: Léon -- still very much having the aura of a ruthless killer at this point -- and the piggy scene counts as this.

* [[Pop Cultural Osmosis Failure]]: In an imitation game, Léon fails to recognize [[Madonna]], [[Marilyn Monroe]], and [[Charlie Chaplin]], while Mathilda confuses [[John Wayne]] with [[Clint Eastwood]].

* [[Punch Clock Villain]]: Leon is a merciless assassin while on the clock. On his own time, he's almost childishly innocent.

* [[The Reveal]]: Stansfield and his men appear to be just another drug gang; when they hear police sirens approaching after the massacre, Stansfield's [[Number Two]] calmly says they've got to go, but Stansfield tells one of his mooks to stay behind.

** To [[Wicked Cultured]] Alex in [[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]].

* [[Spiritual Successor]]: ''[[Colombiana]]''

* [[Staged Shooting]]: {{spoiler|A paintball round is used against a jogger. In the international version, it seems the same thing is happening again when Mathilda shoots a mark and leaves only a red splatter, but Léon casually kills the mark after pointing out to Mathilda what she did wrong.}}

* {{spoiler|[[Taking You with Me]]:}} "This is from Mathilda".

{{quote|'''Stansfield''': I said take the guy out, not ''the whole fucking building!''}}

* [[Training Montage]]: Mathilda learns gun handling, milk drinking, and chin-ups. She is not happy about the last two.

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: Stansfield has a classic one near the end.

{{quote|'''Stansfield:''' Bring me everyone.

'''Benny:''' [[Dramatically Missing the Point|What do you mean, "everyone" ?]]

** Also, [[Drugs Are Bad|when he takes]] [[Phlebotinum Pills|some pills]] and [[Evil Feels Good|starts enjoying himself]][[Dissonant Serenity|...]]

* [[Wicked Cultured]]: Stan is a psychotic classical music fan.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Films With Recuts]]

[[Category:Luc Besson]]