Leon (1994)

WHY A POTTED PLANT?

Starring: Jean Reno and Natalie Portman

An Italian hitman, Leon (Reno), is the best at his game. He has earned himself a lot of money (which his boss is 'holding' for him, hmmm), yet he chooses to sleep in crummy hotel rooms, and he sleeps in the chair, not the bed. He is a loner, with only a potted Aglaonema plant for company.

We first see how good he is when he is asked to call upon the 'Fat Man,' (Guess why he is called this?) The fat man is a bad guy who has been up to no good trying to con the Italians, stupid man. So, after a glass of milk and a quick workout, Leon stealthily glides into the fat mans heavily guarded abode. He kills off most of the guards before slipping out of the shadows to grab the fat man from behind with a knife against his throat. Leon's boss says let him go, so after a warning and quite an amusing phone call, this silent assassin slithers back into the shadows and away.

Across the other side of the city, yet coincidentally next door to Leon's present address a 12 year old girl by the name of Mathilda (Portman), is sitting at the top of the stairs swinging her legs over the side. Leon actually returns home and they exchange glances and pleasantries. More than when her dad returns home as all she gets from him is a clout round the ear.

Mathilda's family is, shall we say, a little bit dodgy, slimy and rough. Her dad, who is holding some drugs for the corrupt police force has taken a little bit for himself, hoping I guess that no body will notice....wrong. Que the junky, corrupt, power crazed, Beethoven mad, Psychopathic and homicidal police officer Stansfield (Gary Oldman...his best performance I believe?!).

Mathilda is out of the building getting groceries when Stansfield and his cronies visit her family. Only after popping a pill does Stansfield even begin to talk with Mathilda's father, oh, and he doesn't like being interrupted from listening to Beethoven...don't ask why? Anyway, the meeting ends badly, it probably would have done even if the father wasn't trying to steal from the bad guys, as Stansfield is a homicidal maniac and thrives off killing. So basically, everyone dies.

Enter Mathilda, back with the shopping and trying not to react or draw attention to her self as she witnesses the carnage at her home. Stifling her sobs she walks past her door where the bad guys are still killing her family and bangs on none other than Leon's door. Leon is behind the door and has been for some time, looking through the keyhole and holding a silencer. What does he do, let this little girl in or let her die. Obviously he lets her in because this is a film about a hitman and a little girl!

So, an unexpected bond occurs between assassin a little girl and a potted plant as Leon unexpectedly and a little reluctantly becomes Mathilda's surrogate father. He teaches her the ways of an assassin and she teaches him about friendship and companionship.

Mathilda is out to avenge her brothers murder, and with Leon's help, she wants to kill Stansfield. She nearly accomplishes it by herself by going, fully loaded to Stansfields office, however she is caught by her nemesis and has a gun held to her head. But wait, Leon saves her, of course he does. He kills a few of the cronies too in the process.

I am not going to tell you the entire film as that would spoil it, but there is an amazing climax to the end of the movie when the enraged Stansfield goes a little overboard tying to exterminate the assassin that could blow his cover as a hard working police officer. He calls in everyone to advance on Leon's apartment, and I mean EVERYONE! They are kitted out in full riot gear armed with lots and lots of guns and explosives and rocket launchers!

A couple of explosions later and a few deaths later we see the courageous Mathilda walking down the street away from the wreckage, yes and the potted plant is with her. She tries to talk to Leon's boss to become a hitman, but he just laughs at her. So instead Mathilda plants the no longer potted plant and hopefully, we can only assume, branches out on her own as a hitman/woman and grows up to be a successful and stealthy assassin like her teacher, we will never know.

This film has it all. Explosions, a psycho, the hero, a damsel in distress, suspense, action, comedy and a potted plant! What more could you want?