Leon

To wrap up our action film half term we watched Luc Besson's "Leon", so to tie all the knowledge together, here is the analysis of the first fight scene of "Leon"

The clip is from 0:03:45-0:07:33

For those of you who don't have the DVD and don't know the timings, it's the first time we are introduced to Leon as an assassin:

Clip analysis:

CAMERA close up of the walkie talkie being blown up in half. Don’t know what happened to cause this. Eerie assassin. Camera stays behind the henchmen creating the illusion of them being followed/watched. Close up on the elevator floors. Seems like a count down to their deaths. Wide shot of the men getting prepared to shoot. Makes them seem small and insignificant. As the numbers of the floor get closer the men get more zoomed out. Portraying that whoever is in the lift has more power. Camera pans up the bloodied corpse in the elevator, showing the henchmen from a low angle to a high angle →  they have lost the advantage, the assassin is out of their league. Wide of the henchman by himself in the hall. tracks slowly behind the second henchman making him seem followed, not dominating the frame. Handheld for the frantic running through the halls. More chaotic. Camera is constantly following the fat guy. Audience doesn’t know where Leon is or what he’s doing.

SOUND Emphasised gun shots, which contrasts with the slower, more quiet music. Making the gun shot more shocking. Diegetic sounds of rustling and gun preparation. Highlighting that they are alone → no one will save them. Music builds up to the hand falling out of the lift and then silence for the gun shots. Shows their false sense of winning as well as a mood change as we underpredicted Leon. Scream which ends with the tv screen turning off. Shows the turning point where they start to lose. Music ends for the man banging on the monitor and for the realisation that all the exits are blocked. Using the music to emphasise when the situation is working against them. Music builds up pace as soon as the guy is most vulnerable. Amplified heart beating and heavy panting as the tension builds up. Music completely stops as soon as the knife is held to his throat = game over.

MISE-EN-SCÈNE Walkie talkie covered in blood → as it was next to the guy’s face, it allows the audience to visualise in their head the gruesome image. walkie talkie and other communication used → seem to start off in control. There are many doors and stairs and hallways. Lots of places to hide/block people off. Henchman by himself is in an enclosed area → stairs only escape. Screens are black. No one can tell what’s going on.

EDITING Slow cuts to build up tension of the henchmen getting prepped. Cutting between the elevator and the man’s face. Old style face-off. Cutting between the henchman and the fat guy. Conveying that they are in separate places. Fast paced cuts of Leon grabbing the guy and pulling him down the stairs, in comparison to the  slower face when he’s looking around. This is also done again for the second henchman. This shows how quick, sudden and unexpected Leon’s actions are.