Luc Besson's Leon is a Super Hero

         Leon’s interpersonal relationships, ideology, and methodology can be seen in many mainstream super hero stories. These similarities are not just coincidences but key aspects and concepts that help create each character. One of the many concepts to be explored is Leon’s chief antagonist shares a dynamic that is reminiscent of the dynamic many super heroes have with their arch nemesis. If you’re using Superman as your pre and post modern super hero sign post the modern super hero is seventy five years old. The super hero as a concept for a protagonist is older if you want to include Zorro, The Shadow, The Spirit, and Doc Sampson to name a few. I will be citing super hero movie adaptations and original source material in demonstrating the titular character in Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is a super hero. Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is a film with two cuts one for American theatrical release and another cut for the international release. For this critique I screened the International release cut on DVD.

          I am dreadfully worried the structure of my essay might become a bit stale by the time my conclusion rolls around. To prove to you Leon is indeed a super hero, I will present a specific troupe or character trait of a modern day mainstream superhero and back it up with examples in both major motion picture adaptations and citing the original source material. Hopefully when I’m done beating you about the head with my encyclopedic knowledge of movies and super heroes you will be just as convinced as Matilda and I are that Leon is a super hero.

          The hero’s antagonist is often a mirrored reflection of him or herself. In The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) the Joker is defined as an agent of Chaos. Batman trying to impose order and justice on Gotham City is the antithesis of the Joker. Wolverine is a superhero who’s constantly at war with his bestial feral side of his persona. Wolverine embraces ideas like the Ronin to give himself a code to live by despite being a killer. His antagonist Sabertooth is just as much a killer as Wolverine however the key difference is Sabertooth embraces his more bestial nature and takes joy in killing. Sabertooth is a predator who clearly sees those weaker than him as prey. Setting him even further apart from Sabertooth Wolverine often finds himself in a paternal role mentoring teenage girls. In X-Men comics he mentors Kitty Pryde and Jubilee and in the cinematic adaptations produced by Fox Wolverine is a surrogate father to Rouge. Leon’s arch villain in Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is the corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield portrayed masterfully by Gary Oldman. Leon prides himself on his professionalism. Leon leads a Spartan lifestyle that’s very ordered and efficient. Conversely Norman Stansfield is chaotic and larger than life. Stansfield is always seen unshaven and unkempt.  He takes joy in his work and during the last third of the film he tells Matilda, “That's good, because I take no pleasure in taking life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it.” As opposed to Stansfield, Leon has a strict code that he will not kill woman or children. Besson strongly implies Leon is a hit man because he can do little else. Leon has poor interpersonal skills and can’t read. Leon and Norman are so diametrically opposed that while Leon’s diet largely consists of milk, Norman takes an unknown designer drug that causes his body and face to contort upon initial consumption.

          Leon’s lifestyle and relationships are very similar to Gotham City’s Caped Crusader. Both Batman and Leon live Spartan lifestyles with little personal ties. They choose to be dedicated to their work and perfecting their craft. The Mobster Tony played by Danny Aiello fulfills the role of Leon’s commissioner Gordon. Leon and Tony seem to have a genuine fondness for each other yet the audience is always aware these men’s relationship is based on mutual interest. Tony helps an ill-equipped Leon navigate the world similar to how Jim Gordon helps insure that G.C.P.D. does not interfere with Batman’s one man war on crime. Both Leon and Batman mentor orphans the best way they know how. And because both men have eccentric world views the best way they know how to mentor orphans is by teaching them their ways. In Batman’s case he instructs Robin how to be a vigilante and in Leon’s case he instructs Matilda in the ways of the assassin. Matilda’s background is very similar to the Jason Todd and Carrie Kelly iterations of Robin. Both these Robins have neglectful parents like Matilda’s and in Jason Todd’s case just like Matilda’s his father’s connection to the criminal underworld leads to the parent’s ultimate demise. Both Batman and Leon try to instill a code of ethics in their young charges. Leon insists that Matilda quit smoking, cursing, and not talk with strange boys. Not only does Matilda acquiesce but she appears to thrive under the tutelage of a strong father figure.  Carrie Kelly’s Robin was repeatedly scolded by Bruce in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight and threatened with being fired. Leon often threatens to not train Matilda if she does not follow his orders. Also, Leon instills his strict code of not killing woman and children in Matilda.

          Don’t super heroes refuse to take lives? In the world of Saturday morning cartoons one would be hard pressed to find a super hero who willingly took a life even if it was for the greater good however, if you go back to the original source material once could find several notable heroes that have taken lives and are still considered moral paragons of virtue. Captain America is a soldier and fought in World War II so it would be safe to assume he most certainly has taken a life. Despite Captain America killing people he is still considered one of the “good guys”. Steve Rogers is a soldier he kills when he must defend others.  Captain America detests bullies and views sacrifice for the community a moral imperative. Leon has a strict code he lives by and the men we see him kill all have varying levels of despicableness. The Punisher is one of the comic book world’s most notable anti-heroes. Similar to Batman Frank Castle wages a one man war on crime but unlike Batman The Punisher metes out justice from the barrel of an assault rifle. Clearly killing doesn’t prevent someone from being a super hero. Similar to The Punisher Leon is not only capable of dispensing violence he excels in it but just like The Punisher his violence is reserved for those who have morally trespassed and brought pain and suffering onto others like drug dealers and organized crime.

          The super hero is an outsider and in some cases an outlaw (or perceived to be an outlaw by the general public). Despite his or hers outsider status the super hero still strives to help and protect their respective communities. J. Jonah Jameson continues to slander Spiderman in The Daily Bugle turning public opinion against the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Despite being an outsider and sometime outlaw Spiderman strives to protect NYC largely due to his personal dogma, “with great power comes great responsibility”. The X-men are often depicted as outlaws and the mantra used to describe Marvel’s mighty mutants is, “…fighting for a world that hates and fears them.” The X-Men don’t let hate or bigotry stop them from doing what is right including laying their lives on the line if need be. Leon lives a Spartan and sparse life and until he meets Matilda his best friend is a house plant. Despite having little connection to the community Leon goes out of his way to protect a young girl (Matilda) even though it complicate his regimented lifestyle and chosen profession. This action early in the film gives us insight into Leon’s personal code long before he articulates it to Matilda. Leon views children as innocent and that they should be shielded from the seedy often violent world of adults.

          Ironically it’s Matilda not Leon who follows the hero’s journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In the traditional hero’s cycle Leon would be the wizard who initiates Matilda into a greater world and teaches her lessons she can bring back to aid her community. Matilda has very ordinary origins. Many of the people closest in her life like her father and older sister pay little attention to her. Leon empowers Matilda and makes her feel valued. One of the scenes that is in the international release cut that was not in the U.S. theatrical release was the Russian roulette scene. The scene has such gravitas because this is the scene where Leon finally comes to grips with how much Matilda means to him. Despite Leon’s life being easier and simpler without Matilda in it he prefers having her in his life. This is when he fully commits to being not only Matilda’s guardian but also her mentor.    

          Leon is a super hero. He even has a uniform consisting of a long wool coat, sunglasses, and a knit cap he dons before going to work. He is methodical in his preparation, he’s an outsider with his own code and protects the weak from predators, he’s an expert in his field, and he has an antagonist who is a distorted grotesque mirror image of himself. During the course of his relationship with Matilda he makes sacrifices for Matilda until he eventually commits the ultimate sacrifice for her. According to Joseph Campbell it’s not just brave or grand gestures that define a hero it’s those actions combined with the willingness to make sacrifice that makes someone a hero. The last and most strong piece of evidence of Leon being a super hero is the fact he fights for justice even when the community he fights for may not be deserving of his sacrifice. Chris Nolan’s Batman wasn’t the hero Gotham deserved but he was the hero Gotham needed. Leon was Matilda’s Batman and hopefully when confronted with evil and injustice. When the weak are being preyed upon, we will ask ourselves, W.W.B.D.?   

 

Batman in the Age of the Police State. Christopher Nolan's The DarkKnight

               Like most enduring works Batman is both transmutable and constant. His origins, ideology, and methodology have stayed relatively consistent considering over the past seventy years. The Batman’s epic tale of one man’s war on crime has been told by dozens of creative teams in a myriad of mediums.  In an era where technology has progressed to the potential of being omnipresent how does a vigilante who also happens to be the owner of a large multinational corporation fit in to our society? Batman swinging from rooftop to rooftop maintaining vigilance over Gotham City’s many dimly lit alleys may fill us with pride and admiration as one man dedicates his life to protecting the innocent and making sure no child of Gotham endures the trauma he has endured. But what if the Batman is no longer a lone vigilant light house in a sea of chaos and crime but the spider atop a net of omnipresent surveillance?

          The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) does not directly adapt one specific Batman comic book or story line. Story elements from various comic books and graphic novels that span the characters history are referenced in the film’s plot. The Joker’s plot to kill important Gotham citizens is also his plot in Batman #1 (1940) and screen writer David Goyer has cited The Long Halloween (1996-1997) as inspiration for his depiction of Harvey Dent; however in Goyer’s version it’s the Joker who gets to light the mob’s money on fire changing the meaning of the scene. In Goyer’s version of events the Joker is setting the mob’s money ablaze because he is above money he is a “better” class of criminal. In the source material Harvey Dent sets the mob’s money ablaze to further cripple organize crime and help clean up Gotham city. Clearly the obstacles and moral quandaries the Caped Crusader must overcome in The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) are not new ones. What is a 21^st century problem is Batman’s solution to his obstacles in this film. Wayne Industries, similar to a modern day telecommunications giant, can tap into the cell phones and devices of the citizens of a large American city. Because Bruce Wayne is a benevolent oligarch he knows this is too much power for him to wield and places a check on his power, namely Lucius Fox.

          In a post 9/11 America how we respond to depictions of the Joker’s terrorist acts take on a different meaning. In the story line A Death in the Family (1988-1989) the Joker literally blows up the second Robin Jason Todd. The aftermath of that story line often centers on Batman being driven closer to the edge, losing control, and becoming more ruthless in his tactics. In The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) both the citizens of Gotham and Batman himself begin unraveling as a result of the Joker’s terrorist acts. A question that is posed often in modern American politics is where do we strike the balance between safety and liberty? Batman must face the same question in The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA). The Joker is such an outlier that this is the one time Batman must usurp the privacy and rights of Gotham’s citizens. Batman doesn’t go as far as declaring martial law but he does recognize the precarious nature of one man holding so much power. He shares this power with the man he trusts to shepherd his large multinational corporation Wayne Industries. In both cases Wayne depends on Lucius Fox to be the check on over reaching power that can be potentially destructive.

           The two modern American problems of capitalism and surveillance are examined in The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA).Wayne Industries has the power to run amok and ruin lives or uplift the citizens of a city with projects like mass transit. Despite his formidable intellect Bruce Wayne cannot maintain his one man war on crime and makes sure that the corporation that operates with his family’s name maintains ethical practices while filling its coffers to satisfy its board members. Lucius Fox is the man Bruce entrusts with the company that bears his family name. Mr. Fox is a benevolent industrialist like Bruce Wayne and serves both as Q and M to Bruce’s James Bond. Batman later extends this trust in Lucius when he wire taps the entire city. Like Gandalf Batman knows despite his best intentions this power may corrupt him and he needs a mortal to both to wield and later destroy this extraordinary power. Both Lucius and Batman are rewarded for their faith in each other.

          When can civil liberties be suspended? The Joker’s thesis is anyone can be like him given the right circumstances. Perhaps this is why accusations of insanity are one of the few accusations Christopher Nolan’s depiction of the Joker takes umbrage with. He’s not crazy he’s just a guy who has had a bad day. Even though virtually everyone would agree the Joker’s alignment is chaotic evil, I wonder if Nolan’s Joker (played masterfully by the late Heath Ledger) might argue that he is in fact chaotic neutral? After examining The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) I begin to feel more ambiguous on whether or not the Joker was successful in his plans to push Batman over the edge. During my first screening of the film I felt confident that despite the Joker’s rampage he did not defeat The Batman because Bruce would not violate his moral code and snap the neck of the Crown Prince of Crime despite the Joker murdering one of Bruce’s loved ones and committing wanton death and destruction throughout the city. He proved the joker wrong as did the citizens on the two ferries wired with explosives. However my creeping feeling of ambiguity comes from my realization that the joker did force Batman to spy and violate the rights of the citizens of Gotham City. The Joker forces Batman to choose safety and order over liberty and chaos.

          Batman is the hope that good people given the opportunity would do what is right. Batman is single minded in his goal; he foresakes his own happiness and desires to stand up for those who cannot help themselves. Bruce Wayne was once helpless to protect those closest in his life. Batman strives to never feel as impotent as that little boy crying in terror in crime alley all those years ago. Batman has replaced young Bruce’s inability to protect his parents with Batman’s need to protect the city of Gotham. FDR believed his place in society came with a responsibility to help those around him especially the disenfranchised. Batman takes this ethos and adds the psychology of a traumatized young boy who refuses to ever feel powerless again. Every fiber of his body is dedicated to protecting Gotham City and sometimes even Batman must puts checks in place to protect him from himself and who better to check the power of Batman then the voice of god himself Morgan Freeman who portrays Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. 

     

 

 

      

   

Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, AUS, 2015) review

        Physical effects make a triumphant return to the GGI saturated season of summer blockbusters. Max Rockatansky has emerged from the waste land in Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, AUS, 2015) to show us the light of epic cinema. George Miller gets another bite at the Mad Max apple and produces a Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean, UK) type epic while making a strong feminist statement in a post apocalyptic acid trip fever dream.

                 

        I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the uncanny valley but the epic scope of Lawrence of Arabia (1962, David Lean, UK) versus Revenge of the Sith (2005, George Lucas, USA) is apparent to anyone whose viewed both.  CGI is helpful and can be a great asset to a filmmaker. Fury Road has over 2,000 visual effects shots[i]. That being said it’s not how much CGI you use but how you use it. It’s the motion in the ocean not the size of the boat. Often Miller’s use of CGI is used to color correct shots, add clouds to the clear Namibian sky, and dessert rocks turned a much richer hue.

              

        After screening Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, AUS, 2015) themes George Miller was hinting at in Mad Max Beyond Thunder Dome (George Miller, AUS, 1985) became much clearer.  The Triple Goddess helps redeem Max when he is at his most feral, his humanity holding on by a shred and our titular hero can only manage guttural sounds in lieu of language. Tom Hardy plays the titular character in this latest Mad Max incarnation. Max fights to protect the maiden or in this case maidens. He is aided and rescued by the mother and in this case the mother is the warrior Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron crushes this role), and lastly he is aided by the crone. In Miller’s post apocalyptic wasteland the crone is a bunch of motorcycle driving, seed toting, rifle shooting bad ass grandmas.

        At one point Max washes blood off his hands using the contents of a tanker full of mother’s milk.The themes in Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, AUS, 2015) are often not subtle but don’t seem heavy handed in a movie that has little to no exposition. In an era when movies find it necessary to have a pseudoscience explanation for our super heroes and science fiction it’s refreshing to have a movie not crow bar in needless exposition. Much like Sergio Leone Miller uses action and his actor’s body language and facial expressions to convey story instead of relying on dialogue.  In Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, AUS, 2015) there’s no time to waste with monologues as the drums of war beat in the distance and a war party race towards you and among them is flame throwing guitar player strapped to a flat bed full of speakers racing down the dessert with dozens of other maniacs painted white. Oh did I forget to mention the maniacs in white body paint drive hot rods that have gentlemen with explosive spears ridding atop them.

                 

        I’ve heard the notion bandied around that George Lucas is treated unfairly by adult fans who didn’t like the prequels. That the movies were not bad they were just now adults and not the target audience as they were in 1977. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, AUS, 2015) takes that thesis and crumples it up and tosses it in the rubbish bin. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (George Miller, AUS, 1981) & the Star Wars trilogy live in the same sweet spot in my pre-adolescent heart. In fact they are probably neighbors and enjoying going over each other’s homes for summer BBQs or drinks around the holidays. Coincidently they live down the street from Raiders of Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, USA, 1981). If my review hasn’t been clear up till now stop reading this and go see this movie NOW!
By Jake Cohen

5 out of 5 Martin Riggs(s). RECOMMEND

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[i] http://www.avclub.com/article/read-crafting-mad-max-fury-roads-more-2000-visual--220462