On The Professional

“The Professional” is a superficial yarn about a hitman (French star Jean Reno) who is befriended in his New York apartment building by an abused 12-year-old girl (newcomer Natalie Portman). When her family are killed by a vicious government agent (Gary Oldman), he reluctantly takes her in. The rest of the film, as you might imagine, has Reno recognizing a side of him that has been awakened by his paternal friendship with this little girl. And he eventually teaches her about being a “cleaner.”

Although bathes in grit and was shot in the scuzziest locations New York has to offer, it’s a romantic fantasy, not a realistic crime picture. Besson’s visual approach gives it a European look; he finds Paris in Manhattan. That air of slight displacement helps it get away with various improbabilities, as when Matilda teaches Leon to read (in a few days, apparently), or when Leon is able to foresee the movements of his enemies with almost psychic accuracy.

“The Professional” is a well-directed film, because Besson has a natural gift for plunging into drama with a charged-up visual style. Not only does music play an important role in giving texture to his material, his scenes — especially the violent ones — are presented as arias, chamber pieces, symphonies. Even though its hero is a killer, “The Professional” pays tribute to the simple nobility of his craftsmanship. It’s an evil job that he does, but at least he has standards.