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  Set in modern day New York, Leon (Jean Reno) is a professional hit man who carries out contracts for Italian boss Tony (Danny Aiello) who in turn acts as a father-figure and manipulator. Leon is truly exceptional at his job with an ability to move without sound, kill without emotion and disappear without trace. Despite earning $5,000 per head he abides to one rule "no women, no children". Leon seems to derive little from his work, spending his spare time training and looking after his plant.The twists in the film begin when he meets his neighbour, 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman).    She first sees Leon while smoking a cigarette in the hallway of their apartment building. He notices that Mathilda has a bruise on her face, but she just covers up the fact by saying she fell of her bike. Soon Leon realises that she is being beaten by her stressed father and step daughter. Mathilda's father is involved in a drugs ring with crooked DEA agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman). After lying about the location their dope, Stansfield raids their apartment killing the whole family in the process. Fortunately Mathilda is out grocery shopping at the time of the attack, but she returns to see the blood of her father pouring out over the floor. As Leon watches, interested but uninvolved, he sees her walking down the hallway, laden with groceries.   Creeping under the gaze of a particularly twitchy villain, Mathilda knocks on his door and silently pleads for sanctuary. As a dedicated hit-man Leon has no wish to compromise his position yet, after several long seconds, he inwardly relents and grants Mathilda safety from the men who have wiped out her family. Leon certainly doesn't want this change, and neither does Tony, but Mathilda manages to convince him that saving her life makes him responsible for it so he'd better get used to her. When Mathilda discovers that Leon is a "cleaner", her course of action becomes clear. 
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