Léon: The Professional - Extended Version (1994) ****1/2

A favorite film of mine since its release, Léon: The Professional (1994) expertly blends drama, action, and humor to create an always engaging film. Léon (Jean Reno)—the story of a hitman who begrudgingly takes responsibility for a young girl whose family is killed by a crooked DEA agent (an explosive Gary Oldman)—is full of memorable scenes, impressively staged shootouts, quotable dialogue, excellent performances (especially by Natalie Portman, only 12 years old at the time), and visual panache.