Léon: The Professional is a 1994 action thriller starring Jean Reno as the title character, an Italian hitman living in New York who is forced to take in his young next door neighbor Mathilda (Natalie Portman) after her family is killed by a rogue DEA agent (Gary Oldman). The film was directed by Luc Besson and was originally released in the US under the title The Professional, but has since been released on video under the title Leon: The Professional.
The following weapons were used in the film Léon: The Professional:
The signature pistols of Léon (Jean Reno) are Beretta 92FSs fitted with compensators and, in some scenes, sound suppressors. A compensator reduces the rising of the barrel during rapid fire by redirecting propellant gases. The combination of a suppressor and compensator might be considered nonsensical - A suppressor is supposed to re-route and slow the release of pressurized gases from the muzzle in order to reduce the muzzle blast, while a recoil compensator functions by changing the vector at which the gases are released in order to reduce recoil. The problem is solved when it is revealed that one of Léon's suppressors has extended threads which clearly reach past the compensator ports when fitted. We briefly see Mathilda (Natalie Portman) assembling Léon's Beretta 92FS pistols, although we never see her use them. One of Léon's Berettas features a two-toned finish with a stainless Inox frame.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingBeretta 92FS fitted with AL-GI-MEC used by Léon in the film.Error creating thumbnail: File missingBeretta 92FS fitted with AL-GI-MEC used by Léon in the film with suppressor.Error creating thumbnail: File missingUpper shot of Beretta with the slide locked back.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAL-GI-MEC Compensator by LA.RI.A, Italian Manufacturer. Note: This is not the modern SGS compensator.Error creating thumbnail: File missingTonto (Lucius Wyatt Cherokee):It's Tonto, downstairs. There's a guy wants to talk to you. Fatman:What's he look like? Tonto:..Serious.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon peaks through the peep-hole in his door while armed with his compensated Beretta 92FS.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon aims his Beretta 92FS through the door at an approaching thug.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon aims his suppressed Beretta 92FS at Mathilda (Natalie Portman) as she sleeps when considering killing her for discovering his profession.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon teaches Matilda (Natalie Portman) about the mechanics of his Beretta 92FS.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMatilda attempts to re-assemble one of Léon's Berettas.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon sticks the suppressor in the mouth of the drug dealer (Robert LaSardo). He threatens that if he feels his mouth leave the muzzle, he'll fire, yet note how the safety is on, and remains on throughout the whole scene.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon (Jean Reno) shoots the drug dealer with his Beretta 92FS. Note how the muzzle flash doesn't emit through the compensator cuts due to the threads blocking them. Even so, we shouldn't be able to see such a large flash coming from the gun at all, since a real suppressor would significantly dampen it.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon shoots the tactical operatives with a brace of Beretta 92FS pistols while hanging from his door frame, one with a stainless frame. Obviously the amount of sit-ups he did throughout the film helped explain his ability to do this.Error creating thumbnail: File missing"He's here. It's the guy. He's got a gun to my head." Léon holds his two-tone Beretta to the head of an NYPD ESU officer after he peeks around a corner (Though in actuality, a tactical team would use a modified mirror to peek around corners so instances like this wouldn't happen). Note how "AL-GI-MEC" can clearly be read on the compensator.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon fires his Beretta at tactical operatives through a hole in the wall.Actor Jean Reno on the set next to the director Luc Besson.
Custom Springfield Armory M1911-A1
Mathilda's (Natalie Portman) pistol is a Springfield Armory M1911-A1 fitted with a compensator and loaded with simunition paintball rounds. She uses it to shoot a drug dealer during her first "hit", fitting it with a suppressor that cancels out the compensator like with Léon's Berettas. She brings it with her when she goes to the DEA building planning to kill Stansfield (Gary Oldman). It is assumed she has it loaded with live ammunition, since simunition would prove useless for killing. Stanfield's 1st man Willi Blood (Willi One Blood) refers to it as "Another Nine-Milley," slang for 9mm.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSpringfield Armory M1911-A1 "Mil-Spec" - .45 ACPError creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda takes out her Custom Springfield Armory M1911-A1 pistol, stored with a suppressor and two spare magazines in a velvet lined box, which looks inconspicuously like a lunch box when closed.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda loads an (empty) magazine into her M1911-A1 pistol. The crimp line running vertically on the magazine indicates it is a 9mm. Note custom trigger and Pachmayr grips.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda threads a suppressor on her M1911-A1.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda "kills" the drug dealer with two shots from her M1911-A1, loaded with simunition. Based on her grip, it appears Léon may have actually taught her a few things on gun handling.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda removes the suppressor from her M1911-A1 before putting it away.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda brings her pistol along with her on her assassination mission in the DEA building.
SIG-Sauer P226
A SIG-Sauer P226 is used by Stansfield's 3rd man Benny (Keith A. Glascoe) as his duty weapon. It has some sort of laser aiming module mounted under the barrel.
A two-tone Smith & Wesson automatic is seen in the hands of Jordan (Randolph Scott), Stansfield's 4th man. The pistol is a compact single-stack 3rd Generation variant featuring a stainless frame (visually similar to the satin silver aluminum alloy frame of the Smith & Wesson 3913) and a blued slide (as seen on the Smith & Wesson 3914). Though atypical, it happens to have a factory model designation - Smith & Wesson 3917 (the '39' indicating 9x19mm single-stack, '1' indicating compact, and most notably '7' indicating arrangement of blued carbon steel slide and stainless steel frame).
Léon dual-wields a two-tone SIG-Sauer P226 pistol fitted with suppressor along with one of his Beretta 92FS's during a confrontation with Malky (Peter Appel).
Mathilda takes along a Llama M-87 with extended controls (magazine release and safety lever) and a compensator, when she goes to kill Stansfield. The Llama M-87 is a competition version of the Llama M-82.
Léon's (Jean Reno) case is packed with a M1911A1 pistol with a nickel finish and combat hammer fitted with a Springfield Armory M1911-A2 SASS upper conversion kit. This conversion turns the 1911 into a single shot pistol in a variety of calibers.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe screen used Springfield Armory M1911-A2 SASS pistol from the filmError creating thumbnail: File missingA Springfield Armory M1911-A2 SASS pistol on the right. The pistol is noticeably missing the magazine insert, which is used to replace the magazine and act as a barrel release lever. Obviously, this is an important part of the firearm!
Revolvers
Smith & Wesson Model 629 "Classic Hunter" Custom
Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) keeps a Smith & Wesson Model 629 revolver with a 3" barrel and unfluted cylinder as his duty sidearm. Stansfield's Smith & Wesson Model 629 appears to be customized or at least a rare, non-catalogued special production run. The standard and/or limited production, short barreled 629s usually have slightly shorter ejector rods (while the gun in the film's ends at the barrel). The muzzle is nicely crowned, too. It's done in a manner uncommon on factory-standard Smith & Wesson revolvers (and limited production runs), which means it was likely a customized & shortened Smith & Wesson Model 629 "Classic Hunter". Unlike the standard model 629, the "Classic Hunter" variation was a special production run made in limited quantities in the late 1980's/early 1990's. It could be had in carbon blue steel and in stainless steel, came with an unfluted cylinder (standard production 629s feature fluted cylinders) and had either in 6-inch and 8 3/8-inch barrel length with the full underlug. Since the 629 "Classic Hunter" Stansfield packs isn't in factory configuration, we can assume it has been further customized and shortened, perhaps to make it more concealable and lighter to carry all-day like an oversized snub nose.
There is a particular Model 629 variant; the S&W product code is Production Code 103650 and only 3200 were produced in 1989 - It had a Round Butt, 6 round UNFLUTED cylinder, Stainless Finish, and 3" Full Lug Barrel. Reference page 260 of the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson. The one Stansfield is carrying certainly looks like a custom shortened barrel Classic Hunter as previously noted rather than this production model although the latter is very similar.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingStandard Smith & Wesson Model 629 3" snub - .44 Magnum. Note the fluted cylinder and how the ejector shroud doesn't reach the end of the barrel like the model in the film.Error creating thumbnail: File missingSmith & Wesson Model 629 'Classic Hunter' blue-steel variant with 6-inch barrel - .44 Magnum. Note the distinguishable unfluted cylinder. An identical gun was used in Luc Besson's earlier film La Femme Nikita.Error creating thumbnail: File missing"Look what you did." Pointing with his Model 629, Stansfield, just after gunning down Matilda's father, gripes to him about his ruined suit, oblivious to his gunshot wound. He subsequently empties the rest of the revolver into him.Error creating thumbnail: File missingWhen Stansfield holds his Smith & Wesson Model 629 snub on Mathilda in the DEA building, we can see the cylinder is unloaded.Error creating thumbnail: File missingStansfield cradles his Smith & Wesson Model 629 when informed of Malky's assassination.Error creating thumbnail: File missingStansfield sets his Smith & Wesson Model 629 on the table in Tony's (Danny Aiello) place.Error creating thumbnail: File missingStansfield aims his Smith & Wesson Model 629. Note the crowned muzzle and how the cylinder is loaded with hollow points.
Ruger SP101
Léon (Jean Reno) has a long-barreled Ruger SP101 in his case among his collection of weapons. He gives it to Mathilda (Natalie Portman) when telling her to leave and be a "cleaner" on her own, resulting in her walking to the window and emptying the gun (although she fires six shots when the revolver only holds five). Later in the film Matilda tries to see if Léon really cares about her, so she loads three chambers, leave two empty, and plays the very difficult version of Russian Roulette. Léon tells her he could hear that there was a bullet in the chamber (not likely), but she continues and nearly kills herself before he knocks the gun away.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingRuger SP101, long barrel version - .357 MagnumError creating thumbnail: File missingA Ruger SP101 in Léon's gun case.Error creating thumbnail: File missingLéon gives Mathilda his Ruger SP101 when denying her his guidance in being a cleaner.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda unloads six shots from the five shot Ruger SP101 out of the apartment window. Note how she has to use two fingers to pull the trigger successfully. Still, her comparatively minute amount of flinching is impressive for a girl her age.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda loads rounds into her SP101. Note five chambers, debunking any arguments the gun is the six shot .32 H&R model.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda spins the cylinder after loading three rounds and leaving two chambers empty.Error creating thumbnail: File missingEven though Mathilda cocks that hammer before raising the gun to her head, we see the hammer down in the next shot.Error creating thumbnail: File missingMathilda holds the SP101 to her head. Note how there are visibly no rounds in the cylinder.Error creating thumbnail: File missingStansfield's 1st man Willi Blood sets Mathilda's Ruger SP101 down on the table, along with a box of ammunition, a magazine for the Smith & Wesson Model 41, and a Llama M-87 with extended controls (mag release and safety lever) and a compensator.
Stansfield's 1st man, Willi Blood, (Willi One Blood) is armed with a Kimel AP-9 during the apartment raid. After hearing the shotgun blasts, he proceeds to fire all around the apartment until his weapon runs dry.
The Fatman (Frank Senger) arms himself with a pair of IMI Mini Uzis after emptying his IMI Micro Uzi. He is held at knife point by Léon (Jean Reno) before he can use them. NYPD ESU officers at the end of the film are also seen armed with them.
A suppressed Armitage International Scarab Skorpion is used by Stansfield's 2nd man, Neal (Don Creech), during the apartment raid. It can be noted by its big size, straight magazine, and wide distance between this and the trigger, unlike the original Vz. 61 Skorpion.
A Spectre M4 is seen among the weapons in Léon's gun case. In the extended cut version, we see Léon cocking the weapon, as Léon recognizes the image based on the sound of a weapon cocking a drug dealer's apartment, which is not actually a Spectre M4 itself.
Two Ithaca 37 shotguns are first seen in the film at the Fatman's security cache. Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) notably uses an Ithaca 37 with a tactical flashlight mounted on the pump forend, and fitted with a pistol grip while raiding Mathilda's (Natalie Portman) house. Malky (Peter Appel) also uses an Ithaca 37 with an extended magazine tube.
Mathilda's father (Michael Badalucco) pulls a Remington 870 Slug Gun shotgun on Stansfield (Gary Oldman) and shoots him in the shoulder during the attack on his apartment, as well as killing another henchmen with a shot to the back. We also see a Remington 870 on the gun rack in the Fatman's house, and an NYPD ESU officer is seen wielding one with synthetic furniture, a police folder pistol grip (minus the stock), extended magazine tube, and a long barrel during the final shootout.
Léon requests a rifle from Tony (Danny Aiello) to train Mathilda (Natalie Portman) on her long range sniping exercise. Tony had one of his workers go into the freezer and pull out an SGW Multimatch AR-15 rifle. Mathilda uses the rifle (loaded with simunition paintball rounds) in her practice "hit" on the jogging politician (Denis Bellocq) in Central Park. The rifle is the old model SGW Multimatch before SGW turned into what is now known as Olympic Arms. With a 16" medium heavy weight barrel, shaved gas block, carbine length free floating aluminum handguard tube, and a Bell & Carlson AR-15 Thumbhole stock. It has blued 20-round magazines (the kind available in the early 1990s), a Harris Bipod, and a dummy short 'suppressor' for the end of the threaded barrel. The scope is a Burris with a 40mm objective lense, and sits on Weaver's tall see-through scope mount rings.
'Simunition' is a trademark for training ammunition produced by General Dynamics - Ordnance and Tactical Systems Canada Inc. of Québec, Canada. Simunition encompasses many types of training rounds, the best-known being the FX Marking Cartridge, or paintball round. Simunition rounds are designed to be used by police and military for training purposes. Most simunition cartridges require slight modification to the weapon to ensure that normal service rounds cannot be fired during training and to simulate full recoil with reduced-pressure/reduced-velocity rounds for more realistic training. In this case for a 5.56 simunition round to work all it would take is a bolt swap to allow this rifle to function with simunition rounds. It's very unlikely the prop weapon itself actually fired the simunition in the film although it is very possible that it could in real life.
Note that in real life, simunition is used only for CQB training, as paint rounds can't reach the velocity to hit a target at great distance; simunition has a maximum range of only 200 yards. (In the case of the film, even though the politician was made to look very far the reticle image shows the politician was closer than 150 yards, within range - though making such a shot with simunition would still be rather unlikely.)
One of the ESU officers in the first team that enters Léon's apartment is armed with a Galil AR. Strangely enough, this rifle has a wood fore-end instead of the usual polymer, which is rare since they were only made of wood for a short time before being changed.
The Armi-Jager AP-15 is seen in the hands of a few ESU officers after the big fight. This could presumably be the same fake grenade launcher in Besson's Nikita.
A heavily modified French MAS AA-52 GPMG with the carry handle removed, a tripod, a Russian PSO-1 scope and a variety of other tactical "junk" fitted is utilized by the NYPD ESU team to launch a grenade into Léon's apartment towards the end of the film. A belt-fed machine gun is an absurd weapon for a police tactical team to be equipped with (especially if its sole purpose is just to launch an explosive rifle grenade, another absurd item for a police unit to have), and appears to have been used purely for visual effect. Note that the rifle grenade is not a explosive/fragmentation grenade, but rather a parachute flare.
MAS AA-52 GPMG - 7.5x54mm French.Error creating thumbnail: File missingESU brings out the MAS AA-52 machine gun.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe ESU team sets up the AA-52. Note the tripod, scope and various other pieces.Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe rifle grenade is fitted on the gun. Note this is actually a parachute flare, indicated by the parachute image and 'ILUM' marking ('ILUM' being short for 'illumination'). Note also that the grenade is not actually fitted to the AA-52's muzzle...Error creating thumbnail: File missing...instead it is fitted to one of the two added barrel-like structures in the positions normally occupied by the bipod legs.Error creating thumbnail: File missingCloseup of the trigger as ESU prepares to fire.
Miscellaneous
Suppressors
Note the third suppressor from the right with its abnormally long threading to bypass the compensator on Leon's Beretta 92FS.
NYPD ESU officers use M18 smoke grenades during the end of the assault on the apartment. They are likely meant to stand in for tear gas grenades, however, for actor safety, standard smoke grenades were probably used.
