# "Leon: The Professional"? Wha-? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468 "2015-06-25T20:12:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/61 "2015-08-12T13:14:25Z")
I’d say he’s done a little better as a producer than a director. _District 13_ was a solid action flick, and it’s sequel wasn’t as good but at lease was interesting. And the _Transporter_ sequels weren’t terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/62 "2015-08-12T14:19:45Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I’ll chime in with the _Fifth Element_ fans, since that time I’ve tended to be unaware of his new releases. It wasn’t until this Thread that I realized he directed _Lucy_ (which I haven’t seen). I don’t remember hating the Joan of Arc movie, but at best it was forgettable. I saw the first _Arthur and The Invisibles_ movie- forgettable for me but it seems he’s succeeded in getting two sequels made (which I wasn’t aware of). I saw _The Family_ recently on Netflix and it was just a mess- a lot that could have been good but it just didn’t work. > > Looking at his [filmography on Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_Besson_filmography), seems the only post-Fifth Element film he’s directed that has a decent Rotten Tomatoes score is _The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec_ from 2010 (83% on Rotten Tomatoes). > > Has anyone here seen it? > [_The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Extraordinary_Adventures_of_Ad%C3%A8le_Blanc-Sec_(film)) I have - an enjoyable but not particularly memorable romp. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/63 "2015-08-12T14:49:47Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > And the _Transporter_ sequels weren’t terrible. Damning with faint praise. They weren’t that much better than terrible, though. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/64 "2015-08-12T15:02:29Z")
He definitely seems to be a creator who had one really great movie in him (Leon) and a few good ones (like Nikita, and I suppose 5th Element, though I haven’t seen it yet). Since then, he’s a competent enough craftsman to churn out movies that make money, basically. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/65 "2015-08-12T22:09:37Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > What auteur ? The author’s dead, man. They might \*think \*they aren’t, and even make noises with their mouths and pens to convince us otherwise. But they ain’t fooling anybody. > > Now get in the fucking cart, Luc. That’s a particularly Jacobin (or Terroristic?) take on Death of the Author. I, of course, disagree. That said, most writers of great works end up writing bad works both before and after. Occupational hazard. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/66 "2015-08-13T16:08:43Z")
Heh, apropos of nothing, I saw a woman walking down the street today who was dressed similarly to Mathilda from _Leon: The Professional_. Same hair, choker with a dangly thing, comic-print tights, etc. No gun, toy bunny or house-plant, though. 😉 Maybe she was on her way to a cosplay party or something. Anyway, that remined me of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/67 "2015-08-13T18:27:00Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > a few good ones (like Nikita, and **I suppose 5th Element** , though I haven’t seen it yet). Don’t pitch your expectations too high ;). It’s basically a [Heavy Metal magazine](http://36.media.tumblr.com/329a57ef9f76c1da58f917efc4a127ee/tumblr_n6sqpaqCbL1rnhr86o2_1280.jpg) comic strip set to film\* with Gary Oldman going deliriously over the top yet again. - [Really](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incal#Legal_issues) ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468/68 "2015-08-13T19:17:57Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Don’t pitch your expectations too high ;). It’s basically a [Heavy Metal magazine](http://36.media.tumblr.com/329a57ef9f76c1da58f917efc4a127ee/tumblr_n6sqpaqCbL1rnhr86o2_1280.jpg) comic strip set to film\* with Gary Oldman going deliriously over the top yet again. > > - [Really](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incal#Legal_issues) Hey, I can get into that. 😃 I loved that comic style when I was a teen. It doesn’t have to be a work of deep cinematic genius to be a hell of a lot of fun - which is what I’m sorta hoping for, when I see it! The irony in this case is that, from what I understand, he only made _Leon_ as an afterthought - because he was waiting to film _The Fifth Element_ and he had time on his hands! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leon-the-professional-wha/723468.md?page=3)