'The Professional' offers action, surprising love story

The Professional -***1/2

As the milk shoots out his nose, Leon realizes he's bit off a little more than he can chew. While he drinks his daily glass of milk, a twelve-year-old tells him she thinks she is falling in love with him. It's not such a sexual realization as it is a smooth pill of love and acceptance that a hitman can not afford to swallow. But swallow he does and what we get is a beautiful sequence of events.

The very first scene is filled with a cool tension, a dialogue between Danny Aiello and Jean Reno. The camera acts nervous, extreme close-ups on the mouths and eyes of the characters. They exchange a few words and then it's down to business: "Are you free on Tuesday?"

Leon is, and he is all business from there on. The following scenes are action packed. This is what we came for, and this film doesn't let us down. But in the middle of all the action, director Luc Besson throws us for a loop. What is this? A love story?

Yes, a very awkward and tender love story, that is handled with care and taste by the director. I would advise you to not take the story surrounding Leon and Matilda as a sexual escapade, but, as William Carlos Williams wrote, to "see the thing itself, without forethought, without afterthought but with great intensity of perception." What you'll gain in return is a beautiful love story of a twelve-year-old girl teaching a forty-plus hitman how to truly live and love.

Video Pick: La Femme Nikita



Oleanna -****

While not the most exciting film in the world, David Mamet's Oleanna is very interesting to listen to. The story takes place on a college campus, dealing with the goings on of a male professor and a failing female student. No, there's no affair, nor blackmail, but something completely different. As the picture moves from scene to scene, the viewer can see the two characters entangling themselves in a web of the invisible lines that make up the modern laws of sexual harassment.

The film, based on Mamet's play, stars Mamet veteran William H. Macy and Debra Eisenstadt. The dialogue is meticulous and correct, as was Glengarry Glen Ross, Homicide, and others. Macy, handling the performance and dialogue with flawless ease, is able to convey the ferocity of the film's subject.

Eisenstadt, however, isn't quite as good. There is a difference between a bad character and bad acting, but Eisenstadt seems to have both problems. Good actors have bad roles, they turn them into good performances. Eisenstadt's performance is just irritating.

The film covers what, to many, is a frightening subject that happens all around us. We see it in something new everyday. As the movie poster claims: "Whatever side you choose, you're wrong." It does seem that way. How does it feel to know that anything you say, from "Think it's going to rain?" to "You look nice today," can be twisted into something sexually driven. Even worse, something you've said can be quoted out of context, without its vocal nuance. It seems that, by law, this can now be done.

Oleanna is no longer playing at the Terrace, but it should be available on video in the coming months.

Video Pick: Glengarry Glen Ross or Homicide