Depending entirely on your personal preference, either the 1980s or 1990s can justifiably be deemed as the Golden Age of action cinema, with a veritable bounty of all-time classics emerging throughout those two decades. While the vast majority of them hailed from Hollywood, Luc Besson’s breakout hit Léon: The Professional can stake a claim for the finest international ass-kicker of the glorious period for the cinematic shoot ’em up.
A star-making turn from a revelatory Natalie Portman anchors the story, with the future Academy Award winner’s 12 year-old Matilda becoming close with Jean Reno’s title hero. When the youngster’s family are brutally murdered by a crooked DEA agent, the unlikely duo team up to take it to the villains with all guns blazing, and it’s spectacular to see it unfold.