Leon Analysis

 

Leon is a thriller that is based on an a professional assassin (played by Jean Leno), who saves Matilda, (played by Natalie Portman), who's parents were killed in a police raid. It was directed by Luc Besson in 1994 and is based around crime and drugs.

The opening scene immediately shows us the location of the movie, this being very conventional to a thriller as it is part of everyday life in a built up city, this is shown by a tracking shot and a point of view shot helps us become a part of the movie and immediately interact with the scene.

The next scene is a very dark scene which uses many extreme close ups, this being unconventional of a thriller. The characters identity is hidden in the darkness and by the fact that he is wearing glasses, this also suggests that he may have little or no emotion.  The whole scene creates mystery and almost tells us that this is going to be a conventional thriller as it is indicated that he is going to kill somebody, however you are not told why which keeps the audience at a third person perspective on the plot.

In the next scene Leon takes one of the guards hostage and uses him as a means of communication to the targeted man. As an informer goes on to radio with the targeted man (fat man) to warn him of what is about to happen, Leon shows up whilst the man is on the radio and has a pleasant surprise when Leon puts a gun to his mouth. Leon approaches with no sound and kills cold heartedly showing he has no emotion, and most concerned about getting the job done. Due to his lack of emotion it informs the viewer that he may have done this before and this is not the first person he has killed. A large amount of blood is splattered when Leon kills him but yet he remains unfazed. We then cut to a shot of the fat man, after hearing the gun shot on the end of the phone, looking extremely worried and anxious. They have used this straight cut to create emotion and show the contrast between that and the calmness of Leon's killing.  As the viewer we then see a sense of urgency from the fat man, attempting to multi task.

They have used a  close shot of the elevator which helps build tension as he reaches each floor, the cuts in the shots are becoming more frequent, much like in a conventional thriller. Leon then tricks the body guards with a witty and almost humorous gesture. He sends the body up in the lift as he knows people will be waiting for him at the top, this is very quick thinking and shows he has experience in this line of work.

 

As the audience we are recognising that Leon is barely seen in all of the scenes, this is unconventional of a thriller but we know he is out there somewhere but may struggle to relate to him. Another good thing about this scene is that we are made to jump each time Leon kills somebody. The diegetic sound is of a heartbeat, getting louder and faster to build tension as Leon gets closer, then the music completely stops then Leon is behind the drug dealer, even when Leon comes into shot he is still very hidden, can only see what you have already seen. The props used are mainly guns and drugs, the fact they aren’t little guns makes you feel like it is a very serious matter and they want to get rid of him as soon as possible. This is reinforced when the main drug dealer goes back for more guns, the shots are straight curs to keep the tension high and make us feel uneasy, the deep breathes of the drug dealer helps us show how unfit or scared he is.

Leon’s movement suggests he is a very edgy character; he moves very slowly and slightly glides to places, as If he is a ghostly character. His character is unconventional as he is very open about his life, he goes on public transport and then you see him buying milk. This would not be exciting enough for some thrillers but it almost fits this one to show the personality of Leon.

Mise-en-scene in Leon

Guns	As he takes off his jacket you see all the guns attached around his waist, this hints that he is a very wanted man because he feels he is always in need of guns for protection. Also can represent how he might have messed with the wrong people and got himself into trouble.
Plant	The plant is a large contrast to his normal nature, the use of the plant symbolizes life, how he treats it with such care and affection, however, his job is to take life. His plant his placed in centre of the hallway, this is so when he walks in it is the first thing he sees and when he walks out it is the last thing he sees.
Picture of God	He lays his gun down on the table right next to a picture of God, the picture of God could indicate he is a religious man, however I feel it is set to confuse the audience, how he can be a religious man, yet still kill people.
Clock	Sounds like it ticks to a different beat than real time; might show how he is always one step ahead and in his own time zone when he is on his own.
Sister	Mathilda’s sister is first seen to be working out, which shows she cares about what she looks like compared to her mother.
Mothers Clothing	Mathilda’s mother is introduced as a very under dressed lady, this could indicate what she does for a living, also shows how poor the family are as she needs to sell her body for money.
Glasses	He seems to be wearing sunglasses everywhere unless he is in his house, this could be to hide his identity.
Lighting	Throughout these scenes it is very natural lighting, giving you the sense of realism and time of day.
Milk	He seems to only drink milk, this could show that he might miss his childhood, which then brings out a sense of insecurity. As milk is white and white symbolizes purity, it could be trying to tell you he is pure inside.