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Why Léon (1994) Still Stuns
Natalie Portman’s debut & Reno’s iconic hitman
Léon is 30 years old ( Okay, 31 years old). And it’s still great.
Funny how masterpieces are born by accident — the movie only exists because Bruce Willis took a vacation, and Besson got bored waiting to film The Fifth Element. But damn, what a happy accident.
For me, Léon isn’t just a movie. It’s a hypnotic cocktail of French cool (that coat, Mathilda’s choker, glasses), haunting symbolism (who knew a houseplant could wreck you?), and Eric Serra’s score that crawls into your ribs. Even a glass of milk feels profound. Sting’s Shape of My Heart? Just the final knife twist in this gorgeous, pulse-painting tragedy.
I’ll never forget my first time watching it. Credits rolled, and I just… sat there. Because Besson did the impossible — he mixed blood and tenderness, bullets and houseplants in one blender.
Let’s figure out why, three decades later, we still watch it again at 2 a.m., crying into our pillows.
(Although wait… Or is it just me?)
