Léon: The Professional

French director Luc Besson tackles his first American movie in this unusual tale of Leon (Jean Reno), a stoic assassin who develops a reluctant relationship with an orphaned 12-year-old girl (Natalie Portman, in an excellent debut performance). When a corrupt DEA official (Gary Oldman) murders the girl's parents in a botched drug deal, the diminutive New Yorker has no one to turn to but Leon, the hit man down the hall. A combination of thrilling action and heartfelt emotion, LEON is a remarkably unique and engaging film.