20 Action Films From The 1990s You Must Watch

Léon The Professional is a much slower action film than most, especially when you compare it to the other films on this list. But what Léon lacks in quantity, it certainly makes up for in quality, as it is regarded as one of the most stylishly violent action films the 90’s had to offer.

Jean Reno stars as the professional hitman Léon who lives alone in New York’s Little Italy. He reluctantly takes in twelve-year-old Mathilda, played by Natalie Portman in her debut role, after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent Norman Stansfield, played by Gary Oldman. Against his better judgement, Léon agrees to make Mathilda her protégée and teach her how to be a hitman in exchange for her doing chores for him around his apartment.

Léon’s disciplined and calculating personality clashes brilliantly with Mathilda’s innocent and quirky charm as the two start to form an unusual relationship. Throw in Oldman’s over-the-top psychopathic DEA agent, and you have three very entertaining characters in a film that will hit you hard with its visceral action sequences in the most unapologetically confident and artistic way it can.