The Professional (1994) France
The Professional Image Cover
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Director:Luc Besson
Studio:Sony Pictures
Producer:Luc Besson, Bernard Grenet, Claude Besson, John Garland, Patrice Ledoux
Writer:Luc Besson
Rating:4.5
Rated:R
Date Added:2007-03-06
Purchased On:2007-06-03
ASIN:0767802519
UPC:0043396747494
Price:$14.94
Awards:2 wins & 8 nominations
Genre:Thrillers
Release:2005-05-23
IMDb:0110413
Duration:110
Aspect Ratio:2.35:1
Sound:Dolby
Languages:English
Subtitles:English, Spanish, French
Features:Full Screen
Luc Besson  ...  (Director)
Luc Besson  ...  (Writer)
 
Jean Reno  ...  Leon
Gary Oldman  ...  Stansfield
Natalie Portman  ...  Mathilda
Danny Aiello  ...  Tony
Peter Appel  ...  Malky
Willi One Blood  ...  1st Stansfield man
Don Creech  ...  2nd Stansfield man
Keith A. Glascoe  ...  3 rd Stansfield man
Randolph Scott (II)  ...  
Michael Badalucco  ...  Mathilda's Father
Ellen Greene  ...  Mathilda's Mother
Elizabeth Regen  ...  Mathilda's Sister
Carl J. Matusovich  ...  Mathilda's Brother
Frank Senger  ...  Fatman
Lucius Wyatt Cherokee  ...  Tonto (as Lucius Wyatt 'Cherokee')
Eric Challier  ...  
Luc Bernard  ...  
Maïwenn Le Besco  ...  
Jessie Keosian  ...  
George Martin (II)  ...  
Randolph Scott  ...  4 th Stansfield man
Thierry Arbogast  ...  Cinematographer
Comments: If you want a job done well hire a professional.

Summary: Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) made his American directorial debut with this stylized thriller about a French hit man (Jean Reno) who takes in an American girl (Natalie Portman) being pursued by a corrupt killer cop (Gary Oldman). Oldman is a little more unhinged than he should be, but there is something genuinely irresistible about the story line and the relationship between Reno and Portman. Rather than cave in to the cookie-cutter look and feel of American action pictures, Besson brings a bit of his glossy style from French hits La Femme Nikita and Subway to the production, and the results are refreshing even if the bullets and explosions are awfully familiar. --Tom Keogh