Leon is an emotionally intense story of a hitman, who slowly discovers his inabilities to live, to feel and to love as his relationship with a 12 year old orphan unfolds against a backdrop of murder and revenge.
The color red is used alot in the promotional material for the film and it is used to it’s full effect here. The color represents blood which is symbolic, since Leon is tired with all the blood on his hands. It also strongly represents the sexual chemistry between him and his ‘Lolita-esque’ protogee Mathilda.
Their relationship is core to the film and the image further reflects their connection, as he is teaching her to be a ‘cleaner’ using a rifle, a phalic object which is a substitute in their relationship for the real thing. The picture also plays with the idea of voyeaurism, using the viewfinder on the rifle as an entry point for the viewer into the picture and the character.
