Just when you thought the large majority of reviewers on IMDb were reasonable and constructive in their analysis, along comes a film which destroys completely that impression!
This movie is relentlessly and thoroughly implausible from its opening scene to the improbable closing where the sole remaining possession of Leon, a potted plant which has miraculously survived, amongst other things, walls of fire, smoke bombs and bazooka attacks, is planted in what appears to be an open lawn!
Unbelievable that seemingly 80% or more of near 900 reviewers here have very strangely anointed this movie a near masterpiece. My score of 5 is over-generous considering the litany of implausible character and plot situations. The most incredulous situation is the fact that Mathilda is a 12 year old, sometimes acting her age but more often than not engaging in conversation which is not only that of a mature woman but also appears quite disturbing in light of the sexual tension depicted. And for goodness sake, what 12 year old blithely refers to long dead couples such as Bonnie and Clyde?!
The age factor of Mathilda and the implausibility of her words and actions in every scene remain front and center at the startlingly obvious weakness of this movie, regardless of how brilliant Natalie Portman's performance may appear.How incredible that she seems to have taught the near illiterate Leon to read in what seems just over a week. Considering that Leon has been in the US since age 19 and has developed skills as an ace hit-man and YET still can't read English defies credibility. As for Gary Oldman's portrayal of Stansfield, how could the actions of a vicious, destructive pill-popping police officer of seniority go unnoticed? How did he reach such a position in the first place? Totally unbelievable. And how can the near destruction of a hotel in Leon's pursuit of the gangster in the opening scenes, with innumerable rounds of machine gun fire, go unnoticed by anybody else in the building. Unbelievable. No police response until the climax where seemingly hundreds of highly-armed police and commandos with flame throwers and bazookas and smoke bombs and.......absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!
So over-rated, so implausible. This bilge borders on parody. Ridiculous movie-making.
This movie is relentlessly and thoroughly implausible from its opening scene to the improbable closing where the sole remaining possession of Leon, a potted plant which has miraculously survived, amongst other things, walls of fire, smoke bombs and bazooka attacks, is planted in what appears to be an open lawn!
Unbelievable that seemingly 80% or more of near 900 reviewers here have very strangely anointed this movie a near masterpiece. My score of 5 is over-generous considering the litany of implausible character and plot situations. The most incredulous situation is the fact that Mathilda is a 12 year old, sometimes acting her age but more often than not engaging in conversation which is not only that of a mature woman but also appears quite disturbing in light of the sexual tension depicted. And for goodness sake, what 12 year old blithely refers to long dead couples such as Bonnie and Clyde?!
The age factor of Mathilda and the implausibility of her words and actions in every scene remain front and center at the startlingly obvious weakness of this movie, regardless of how brilliant Natalie Portman's performance may appear.How incredible that she seems to have taught the near illiterate Leon to read in what seems just over a week. Considering that Leon has been in the US since age 19 and has developed skills as an ace hit-man and YET still can't read English defies credibility. As for Gary Oldman's portrayal of Stansfield, how could the actions of a vicious, destructive pill-popping police officer of seniority go unnoticed? How did he reach such a position in the first place? Totally unbelievable. And how can the near destruction of a hotel in Leon's pursuit of the gangster in the opening scenes, with innumerable rounds of machine gun fire, go unnoticed by anybody else in the building. Unbelievable. No police response until the climax where seemingly hundreds of highly-armed police and commandos with flame throwers and bazookas and smoke bombs and.......absolutely UNBELIEVABLE!
So over-rated, so implausible. This bilge borders on parody. Ridiculous movie-making.