LEON aka The Professional Version 1 Script from an original idea by Luc Besson Notes: The beginning is identical to the movie, so we considered useless reporting it here. It's from Mathilda's first rifle training scene that the original script is totally different from the movie. This version is much more violent and the affective relation between Leon and Mathilda shows no more ambiguities. In this version, Mathilda was to be aged 13 or 14. * * * * * * * * * * Leon and Mathilda arrive on the roof of a building which faces Central Park. They get close to a wall and maintain this position. Sunlight floods the park. LEON (concentrated) Firstly, you look. For more than one minute. Because there are alarm systems with one minute period. Therefore, you wait and look. Alarms firstly, the sky for helicopters, nearby buildings. Meanwhile, you observe soil's color and will try to wear dresses of the same color. Never lighter. Mathilda listens very carefully. LEON OK. Good. Now you can assemble your weapon. He opens the violin case and assembles a rifle with telescopic sight and silencer. LEON The rifle is the first weapon you learn to use, because you can keep far from the client. The more experience you have, the closer you get. He finished assembling the weapon and hands it to Mathilda. She's going to pull off telescope's cover. LEON No. Always take it off at the last moment, because of light reflexes. They'll see you in two seconds. They get close to roof's edge. Mathilda sits down and gets in position. LEON Relax. You must feel at ease. Mathilda leans down properly. MATHILDA OK, I'm fine. LEON Good. He removes telescope's cover. LEON Here, this is the light amplificator for night shooting. There, you fix client's distance... How much to the bench down there in the park? MATHILDA Huh... 500 meters? LEON 130... 140... MATHILDA How can you say it? LEON Look. When you can see his fingers, it's 50 meters. When you just see his hands, it's about 80 meters. When you distinguish arms from body, it's 120-130. When you see nothing more than a shape, you don't shoot. Not very sure. You have one chance out of five to miss. A contract means getting all chances on your side. 5 out of 5. You can't miss a client. Never... If the task is delicate or the risk is too big, you double. That is, you insure yourself by another mean. MATHILDA What, for exemple? LEON Well, if the guy is far, in a car, and I know weather is going to be bad, rain for exemple, I think I would plastic the car, with a remote here. I shoot from the distance and if I miss I plastic. MATHILDA What if you can't approach the car or he changes car? Leon thinks. LEON Rocket launcher. MATHILDA Oh really? (She looks at the road and imagines) But can you miss the car? Leon pulls a small box out of the violin. LEON (showing a special bullet) It's a coded bullet... You put it in the rifle, you glue it to the car, no matter where. Then you take your rocket launcher and the rocket will get there automatically. MATHILDA Wow! It's brilliant! LEON Yeah... Come on, have a little training. Mathilda gets in position. MATHILDA Who'll I aim at? LEON Whoever. Leon pulled out binoculars. Mathilda looks for a victim by telescope. She passes over playing kids. MATHILDA No women... No kids.... Leon smiles: she learnt the lesson. LEON Begin from a steady target. It's easier. She stops on a man who's reading a newspaper. The man wears a suit, Herald Tribune, fat. MATHILDA The fatman down there, on the bench. LEON Perfect. Mathilda aims at the fatman. One of bench's boards explodes. The fatman turns his head. He doesn't understand what happened and resumes reading. LEON Try again. The same. Second shot. The bench explodes on the opposite side. The man is still curious but doesn't understand. LEON (at binoculars) Too much to the left. Mathilda concentrates again and shoots: nothing happens. Mathilda wonders whether she missed again and prepares for a new shot. LEON Wait... The fatman softly leans down on his side. LEON Bull's-eye. Mathilda is happy but, evidently, she expected death to be more spectacular. LEON Come on, now a walking one. Mathilda aims at a businessman. She really chooses the ugliest one. She shoots. Man's case explodes and he hides behind a tree: he's scared and doesn't move any more. LEON Good! First shot! MATHILDA Yeah, but I didn't get him, I got his case and now he's behind the tree. What can I do? LEON It's not serious, it's just training. You have to learn from the beginning to hit the target, then, to improve precision, you'll train, but on cardboards. MATHILDA OK. LEON Now, try a running guy. Mathilda gets back to telescope and looks for a jogger. MATHILDA The yellow and pink. LEON OK. The guy is footing, sweaty, with a walkman and headphones. Mathilda shoots once. Twice. Thrice. The bullets pass around the jogger, who can't see or hear anything. MATHILDA Shit! It's hard when he runs! Leon hands her another charger. LEON Don't lose him! Concentrate. There, reload. OK, keep calm. Calm, breathe deeply. Look at his movements. Imagine you're running with him. Breathe... Hold your breathe... His movements... Now... She shots and the guy gets a bullet in a thig. He's scared, but doesn't know where to go. MATHILDA Did you see? First shot! It's good, isn't it? Did I learn well? Mathilda proudly smiles. LEON (serious and steady) Put tools away. Mathilda obeys, seriously. * * * * * * * * * * Night over city. The two are on a small building's stairway. LEON Codes! Mathilda gets by his side for her new lesson. LEON For codes, there are two solutions. You have to choose depending on your needs. First case: you have time. You need the code for a later time. So, you wait for night, you get a box with soot powder and blow a little on the keyboard. He does it and pulls out a screwdriver. LEON Then you break the little lamp to be sure the client can't see anything. You wait for someone who gets inside, so you have just to see which numbers he touched. Once you know the four or five digits, you have to try all combinations; once per hour and not more than a minute to do not get found. LEON (continues) Second case: you have no time but you mustn't get discovered. Screwdriver. He disassembles lock's cover. LEON Here, wires need the code. Always four wires. An approximately 40-year-old man climbs the stairway. He evidently lives in the building. MAN May I...? LEON Pardon. (To Mathilda) Let pass. Leon opens the door by disassembled lock's wires. The man is going to pass, but doesn't. Leon's going to resume his explanation. MAN Excuse me, but... What are you doing? LEON I teach to the girl. MAN Do you teach her how to break buildings' doors, don't you? Don't you give a shit about me? Get away before I call the Police! The man is very nervous, searches in a pocket, then pulls out an anti-aggression bomblet. He'll have no time to use it: Leon pulled out his silenced gun. A shot to the hand and the bomblet takes off. Shot's energy makes the man turn around. A second shot in the back makes the man get over the parapet and disappear in a decorative bush, almost without noise. Mathilda is immobilized. Leon looks around, then resumes. LEON So... the wire which starts from the bottom of the metal part and then, you try the other three wires, one by one. At second wire, the door opens. Leon smiles. LEON Simple, isn't it? She nods yes. LEON What's up? I don't feel you're concentrated. MATHILDA Yes, yes... She gets close to the parapet and looks at the bush. MATHILDA It's incredible! How did you do it? LEON What? MATHILDA There, the guy... How did you do that, without even touching him? Without noise. It's like you put him away... How did you do it? LEON (pause - proud) ...Did you like it? She pauses and seriously looks at him. MATHILDA It was brilliant. * * * * * * * * * * Leon and Mathilda at cinema. On the screen, Fred Astair breaks out as usual. LEON (talking about Fred Astaire) Look at his movements... Whatever he says, whatever he does, he never stops. Sad or happy, the movement always goes on. Pirouette by Fred Astaire. LEON ...Look! Even the wall, nothing stops him. The movement goes on. He uses everything: soil, wall, his rush, his weight. Life is movement, death is a part of it. Mathilda listens carefully. LEON So, you have to let the client finish the movement he started. It's better, he thinks about other things and he can't see death's arrival. He's got no time to suffer. He isn't surprised. He's got no time even to think. He departs without realizing. He departs in the movement he started. Mathilda looks at the screen, sparkling eyes. MATHILDA ...It's brilliant. * * * * * * * * * * MUSIC Series of short sequences. Morning in the apartment Television turned on. Mathilda and Leon have some abdominals. After some bendings, Mathilda collapses and remains on the floor. Leon goes on, undisturbed. Mathilda tries again. Weapons assemblage Leon disassembled a big weapon in front of him. Mathilda observes, very concentred. Leon reassembles it in record time. She's stunned. He hands her the weapon. Mathilda doesn't know where to start from. Mathilda's room In the little room, Mathilda started a collection of target cardboards. The first targets have just two or three off-center hits. Living room Leon's making abdominal flexions, feet always blocked under a wardrobe. Mathilda is making gym in front of television. Leon glances at her now and then. Kitchen Leon pours a big glass of milk. Mathilda sits in front of him. She's tired. He hands her the glass. She shakes her head no, but he clearly shows she can't discuss. She takes the glass without pleasure. Weapons assemblage Mathilda's much quicker now, but makes an error. Leon stops her and takes over to explain her mistake. Mathilda understands and restarts. Mathilda's room Cardboard collection expands. More and more impacts on targets. Living room Mathilda was able to convince Leon to make his gym in front of television and with music. She teaches him, since he's not used to this and is quite embarassed. Kitchen Mathilda pours two glasses of milk. She gives one to Leon: he drinks then they have a race. Mathilda does everything to be fast. Leon is too used: he wins. The two laugh because Mathilda spread milk everywhere. Two kids. Mathilda's room Mathilda adds a cardboard to her collection. Five impacts, all virtually on target. MUSIC ENDS END of short sequences * * * * * * * * * * TONY'S RESTAURANT Leon sits in front of Tony. From his position, he can see the window on the street. TONY It's a long time, Leon. You missed two nice contracts, you know. LEON (badly lying) ...I was training. He looks at the street: Mathilda is pirouetting in front of the restaurant. TONY ...You moved too, didn't you? LEON Yeah. TONY Huh!? Because of the slaughter at your same floor? LEON ...Not at all. TONY It's better... You see, it's my turf, so I don't want contracts I'm not informed about, on my turf. I'm not opposing, but the least they can do is informing me, isn't it? LEON Yes. Mathilda, outside, sends a "cuckoo" to Leon, who slightly leans down to reply. Tony didn't see anything. TONY At a certain moment I thought: maybe Leon would like working on his own? So he makes some little extras? LEON Dirty work, and I kill no women and no kids. TONY That's what I later told myself! No, Tony, forget Leon! It can't be him, he likes too much his job to make such a slaughter! Leon can't avoid looking at Mathilda, who's looking up to breathe better. This little woman, only surviver of a massacre. LEON Tell me... The money I earn and you keep for me... TONY Do you need money? LEON No... Just to know... Because it's a long time I work... And I never did anything with my money... I should do something. Tony is a little surprised by Leon's naivety. TONY It's true, you're right... Did you meet a woman? Leon smiles. LEON No, no. TONY Pay attention to women, Leon. They are dangerous, you know? LEON Yeah... Well... I don't know.. I don't know any. TONY Listen, think about what you want to do, but don't worry, your money is there and it's safer than in a bank... Banks are robbed every five minutes! Tony makes an effort to laugh. TONY Anyway, you can't have a bank account, so the discussion is finished. Leon nods. LEON Why can't I have a bank account? TONY I'll explain you, Leon: they'll ask you to fill in a lot of forms and you can't write and they'll ask you your job, your employer's name and you can't tell them: "My job, I'm a hitman and my employer is Tony, his record is longer than his restaurant's menu". That's why you can't have a bank account! Leon thinks. Outside, Mathilda lets a young man approach her. They start talking. Leon gets nervous. TONY But your money is there, Leon. When you want, you ask me. Take... He hands one thousand dollars to Leon. TONY Take... LEON Well, I don't need them... TONY Take them, you never know... If you want to have some fun. Take, it's a gift. Tony puts the money in Leon's hand, who takes it. LEON Thanks. TONY (smiling) Good. Let's talk business, now? LEON I've got a hit perfect for you. I kept it for you. To be made alone. That's what you like. Don't move, I get the file. Manolo! A glass of milk for Leon! Tony stands up and disappears. Leon looks out. Mathilda accepts a cigarette from the young man. They laugh. Leon can't resist any more. He stands up and exits. He kindly pushes Mathilda aside. The quite nice young man waits. LEON (low voice) Pay attention, Mathilda. You can't let people approach you like that. People are kind and very fast, they offer you drugs or other things. MATHILDA (smiling) Leon, don't worry. I'm on the street since I've born. I was just smoking a cigarette while waiting for you. Leon pauses and looks at the young man, who smiles at him. LEON Keep away. He looks suspicious. A bad guy, OK? MATHILDA (smiling) OK. LEON Five minutes. Keep in front of the window. MATHILDA OK. INSIDE THE RESTAURANT Leon sits in front of his milk. Tony comes back and sits down. TONY I have to put on my glasses... My sight is worse and worse... I'm getting old... Here it is. Tony hands a photo to Leon, who observes it. TONY Not easy. Armoured car, isolated home, bodyguards all time. I don't know what he trades, but it's a good hit because I've got three contracts on him... Three times eight thousand for Leon. Good deal, isn't it? Outside, Mathilda has disappeared. Leon gets upset. Tony takes the photo back. TONY I write client's data on the back. You have to be quick, he's going to quit the city at the end of the week. With the contracts on his head, I don't think we'll see him again. Leon is too nervous. He takes the photo and stands up. LEON I come back later for details. I've got something to do and... I'm late. He gets out, looks left and right. You've never seen anyone as nervous as him. Mathilda, crouched down behind the door, jumps on his back. He's relieved and slightly smiles. She hangs on him like a little monkey. LEON Come on, get down! MATHILDA You were scared, weren't you? LEON I was nervous, that's all! Where is the guy? MATHILDA I killed him... and cut him and ate all of him... I left nothing for you! Leon suddenly realizes Tony is behind the window. He shily smiles, slightly embarassed. Mathilda makes a big smile to him and heels Leon. MATHILDA Let's go home!!! * * * * * * * * * * Leon arrives to the hotel, Mathilda still on his back. The receptionist smiles at Leon, who doesn't return. Mathilda gets the key with a a big smile. MATHILDA We'd a nice walk! RECEPTIONIST (smiling) Good, Miss. Mathilda cackles and leads her mount upstairs. In the room, she jumps on the bed. MATHILDA Leon? I think I'm falling in love with you. Leon's milk goes the wrong way. She calmly said it, laying on the bed, spread arms. Like a simple truth. Leon got milk everywhere. MATHILDA ...Anyway, this impressed you! He dries himself, but doesn't reply. MATHILDA It's strange, being in love... It's the first time for me... LEON How do you know it's love, if you've never been in love before?... It may be palship... or the love you can have with a brother or a father... How can you know? MATHILDA ...Because I feel it. LEON (upset) Huh? Where? Mathilda puts a hand on her stomach. MATHILDA Here... in my stomach... it's hot. She turns, takes his hand and puts it on her stomach. MATHILDA I always had a knot... No longer... Leon pulls off his hand. He stands up and nervously walks. LEON Mathilda, I'm... I'm very happy you've got no more stomach ache, but... this doesn't mean anything. I'm late for work and I don't like being late for work. Mathilda smiles. She's calm. She rolls herself into the blanket. Leon gets out of the room. He puts various weapons into his case and in his violin. He's nervous. This conversation upset him. He hears a noise, flowing water: Mathilda sings. She's having a bath. He finished preparing his gear. He knocks bathroom's door. LEON Mathilda? May I get in? MATHILDA Yes. Leon opens the door. Mathilda is naked and is brushing her hair. Leon closes back the door without entering. LEON (embarassed) Sorry. I heard "yes", so I got in... Mathilda opens the door. She's still combing her hair. She's still naked. MATHILDA Yes... You can get in. Leon is rigid. He takes a towel and deploys it in front of her. LEON Take it, please. She rolls herself into the towel, without speaking. Leon's relieved. LEON I... I've got a contract... I've got to go now. It's urgent. ...So, you stay here. You don't move. About telephone, I let it ring once then I call you back, else you don't answer, OK? Mathilda is sulky. MATHILDA Why don't you take me with you?... I'm ready, now. You said I learn very quickly. LEON "Quick" doesn't mean "ready". And you can't discuss, we said. Right? Mathilda has to surrender. LEON Go on learning like this... Then we'll see. He gets in the living room and she follows him. MATHILDA May I get to the cinema? LEON No. MATHILDA For musicals? That's part of the job! LEON No, you can't get out. MATHILDA (resigned) OK... you come back tonight, don't you? He takes his violin and his case. LEON During my absence, you have to work on a very important thing you badly lack: patience. He slightly smiles. She's sulky. LEON You see, five minutes ago you said you loved me and now you hate me... but I prefer this! MATHILDA I hate you because you depart without kissing me. That's all. She sweetly closes the door in face of him. For a moment, he's blocked behind the door. The receptionist is walking along the hall and notices Leon prostrated in front of the door. RECEPTIONIST Did you lose your key, Mister? Leon recovers from his shock. LEON No... I just thought if I'd lost anything... RECEPTIONIST And did you forget anything? LEON Yeah... But "forgotten" doesn't mean "lost" He passes in front of the perplexed receptionist, leaving the hotel. * * * * * * * * * * The receptionist is at his desk. The hall is empty. Mathilda walks down the stairs, slowly, like a kid who's got nothing to do. RECEPTIONIST How are you, Miss? MATHILDA Fine... She puts her elbows on the desk. MATHILDA I'm sick with practising, that's it... RECEPTIONIST I see. You're good, because I didn't hear anything. MATHILDA Yeah. I put a rag on the strings, to lessen noise. RECEPTIONIST Huh? That's smart! MATHILDA I'm used to it. Not everyone likes music. RECEPTIONIST Yeah, true. But what does your father exactly do for living? MATHILDA ...Composer. RECEPTIONIST Huh, that's good! MATHILDA Yeah, but he's not exactly my father... RECEPTIONIST Huh? MATHILDA ...No... he's my lover... RECEPTIONIST (pale) Huh? Mathilda sighs and glances at the hall. MATHILDA I'm going to have a walk... I'll come back. Receptionist's tense smile. * * * * * * * * * * MATHILDA'S OLD BUILDING Mathilda slowly gets to her floor. In front of the door, a thin yellow "no entry" police strip. A cop is distractly guarding the hall; he's talking with a young black girl. Mathilda gets in her apartment unnoticed. She gets in her room, recovers her teddy bear and her polaroid. Then, she gets in the devastated living room. There's dry blood almost everywhere. In the corridor, she raises one of parquet's boards. A big roll of 100$ bills is hidden beneath. There is a small cheque-book too. She carelessly puts everything away. Noise in the apartment. Mathilda crouches down. Stansfield gets in together with two more guys. Mathilda can see them without being seen. Stansfield is evidently not at ease, he's justifying his actions in front of upper-rank officers. STANSFIELD So, the guy was there, he'd hidden a shotgun behind the tent, here. His woman was armed too. MAN Where were the kids during first shots? STANSFIELD I don't know... that was very fast. I didn't see him pulling out his weapon. The man writes some notes. The second man observes the cracked entry door. SECOND MAN Did you follow the procedure? Who got to the door? STANSFIELD (getting nervous) What are you looking for, guys? This guy was shit, we found five kilos heroin in the apartment, and you bother me? MAN The fact you're a public officer doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want! The narcotic had been following this guy for two years. They had a lot of informations about him. Your quick lonely action upset them. It's normal they asked for an inquiry. STANSFIELD I give a shit about the narcotic department! And if you'll go on searching in this shit, you'll fall in it. You can find me at my office... 2702. MAN It's routine, why are you doing this to us? Stanfield didn't listen. He got out. Mathilda slides behind him. She follows him downstairs. * * * * * * * * * * IN THE STREET Stansfield gets on a car and departs. Mathilda stops a cab and gets on board. MATHILDA May you follow that blue car, please? The driver smiles. DRIVER Do you also want music and skids at every turn? She hands him 100$. MATHILDA No, I want you to drive smoothly, get your 100$ and tell me what the last question was. The driver takes the bill and starts moving. He understood everything. Stansfield's car stops in front of a building. Mathilda gets out of the cab and follows Stansfield. She gets stopped at the first check-point in the large hall. COP (amused) Where are you going, little girl? MATHILDA What's that man's name? COP Why do you want to know? MATHILDA He forgot his money... My mother's got a pub, behind the corner, and he forgot his money, about 100$. COP Huh? I see, but this is the FBI, little girl, and I can't let you in. But if you leave me his money, I'll give him it myself. Mathilda thinks. COP (smiiling) You don't trust me. Mathilda shakes her head no. The cop laughs. MATHILDA Give me his name, I will mail him. COP OK. Mister Stansfield, Norman STANSFIELD. MATHILDA ...Office 2702. COP Yeah... How do you know it? MATHILDA ...I heard he said... That's all... Thanks. Mathilda gets away. The cop looks at her, smiling. * * * * * * * * * * Mathilda gets back in the hotel room. She sits on the couch, in front of the switched off television. One has never seen, nor heard her that concentrated, and determined. Her face looks thirty-year-old. Noise from the lock; she switches television on: anime. Leon gets in, gets off his stuff. He's got a parcel. He puts it on the table. Leon is stunned by her lack of interest for the parcel. LEON ...It's for you... It's a gift. No reactions. No replies. LEON Would you like me to open it? He's too excited. ...I open it! He pulls out a small dress, flowers motif. He's very happy. ...Do you like it? MATHILDA (harsh) ...You'd better directly buy the doll to fit in it, that would be clearer! Leon doesn't understand. He takes the dress and checks it out for defects. She sighs and gets in the kitchen. Leon gives up. He sweetly lays the dress down on the table and switches television off. Mathilda comes back with a lot of pop corn. She switches television on again, sits on the couch and turns volume up. Leon is perplexed, he doesn't speak. He gets in the bathroom for a shower. Mathilda turns volume down. She stands up, glances at the dress, touches it by fingertips. Her face is tense. Water flows in the bathroom, but Leon is at door's small opening and observes Mathilda. She eventually leaves the dress, switches television off and gets to the window to look at the sunset. Leon feels bad. He silently closes the door. * * * * * * * * * * Mathilda sits in front of him, like in an arena. MATHILDA (cold) I'm sick of this, Leon. LEON ...You can leave whenever you want. I don't refrain you. MATHILDA ...This is what I don't like, you see: you don't refrain me, but at the same time I can't get out! Leon is still cleaning his weapons. LEON Do you think you learnt patience today?! MATHILDA (getting nervous) Well, I'm a poor pupil about patience?! OK? Leon slightly smiles. LEON ...You stayed home, not bad. A good start. She smiles at him and he returns. MATHILDA I've been out all the time, stupid! Leon's smile disappears. MATHILDA I got home to get my stuff. She pulls out some dollars and puts them on the desk. MATHILDA Here. Not 8000. They're 6800. I hope you will credit me for the missing 1200. Furthermore, I'm going to make your work easier: the guy is Norman Stansfield. Office 2702 at FBI, 5th Avenue, 68th Street. Leon is pale. Open mouth. LEON And... How do you know all this? MATHILDA (as if it's evident) The above Norman was in my home when I was there, and I followed him, that's all. Leon tries to keep calm. LEON Are you calmly telling me you spent the day at FBI? She shrugs her shoulders. MATHILDA No! I can't get in! I remained outside! And why do you mind this? You've got client's name, money's on the table: it's a good contract, isn't it? Leon looks at her, then looks at the money. LEON Not taken. MATHILDA Why? LEON Too heavy. Mathilda thinks fast. MATHILDA Well... Then may you rent me your gear for the day? LEON I never rent my gear. Blocked on every front, she sweetly starts crying. MATHILDA Why are you doing this to me, Leon? Why don't you take me with you for contracts? If you teach me, we'll can do mine together! That would be good, wouldn't it? Leon intensely look at her, neither severe, nor badly. Just cold, like an iceberg. LEON Mathilda, nothing is the same, after you kill someone. Your life changes forever. You'll can never cancel it, neither from your memory, nor from your criminal record... You'll never sleep again like before, Mathilda. Mathilda dries up her tears. She's abandoned, exhausted. MATHILDA If you knew, Leon...! I killed one thousand in my head... And this never disturbed my sleep. LEON OK... And if it's you who gets killed? Mathilda doesn't reply. ...Then? Talking about other people's death is easy, but what about yours? She's here! She moves around you, and can get you in a thousandth of second. Because it was your day, your hour, your second... Mathilda looks at him. Leon gets confused. It's written in the sky, from the beginning, just you don't know! Then someone announces you like this! Suddenly! "Did you ask yourself what time you will die?" Well, it's now! And it's too late already, you've got a bullet in your lungs already! There! He pushes her by his index finger, enough to hurt her. LEON Painful, isn't it? He pushes again. You don't like talking about death because you're like everyone: you fear it... LEON ...Well, it's this fear that makes you live. It's because you fear death that you live with so much tenacity. It's because of it that you bear what's unbearable. You can live in a hovel, on lots of trash, everything is better than death and the fear you have of it. (Pause) But me... Leon... I don't fear it any more... They look at each other for a moment. It takes a long to lose it, this fear, but once you lost it... You are free... And just then you can start working properly... Because you can work on other people's fear, play with it... Because "kill or get killed" have become just words... Do you understand? Mathilda slightly nods yes. LEON ...You can't pretend to make this job, until you get beyond this stage. The day you get free of this fear... Not before... Mathilda looks at his eyes, without challenge. MATHILDA Leon... I have no fear... It's so. Leon stares at her. He tries to ascertain truth in Mathilda's eyes. A long pause. LEON OK... He takes a weapon, empties the cylinder, then loads just one bullet. ...Do you know this game? Mathilda nods yes. He turns the cylinder. LEON One shot ahead... I start. He gets the barrel to his temple so that, if the bullet explodes, blood will get out with a downward angle. He's ready. He pulls the trigger. Nothing happens. He puts the gun in front of her. Mathilda takes it. She looks at him with so much love he almost gets upset. She's not scared. She'd just like things to be different; maybe she'd like Leon to open his heart to her. She sighs, looks at the gun. She takes it, lifts the cock and aims the weapon at her face. She's resigned. MATHILDA ...Love or death. She gets the barrel in her mouth and looks at Leon. A swear drop on Leon's front. She pulls the trigger. Nothing. She puts down the gun. Leon stands up, turns around the table and embraces her. He holds her tight. She's surprised. She kindly pushes Leon back, to look at his eyes. MATHILDA Am I ready? Leon pauses, slightly smiles and nods yes. Mathilda closes her eyes, happy and relieved. She takes his hand and embraces him for a long. Leon lets her do. * * * * * * * * * * MORNING - A FEW DAYS LATER Leon and Mathilda in a '50s building. Slightly luxury. Leon checks emergency exits, then gets in front of a door. He moves his hand along door's border. MATHILDA What are you doing? LEON I'm looking for chain's position. Sometimes you can't see it, but you can feel it... Here. He opens his overcoat and pulls out large shears. He pulls a chewing-gum out of his mouth and squeezes it on the peephole. LEON I ring and you make him open, OK? He rings. MATHILDA (caught slightly off-balance) What shall I say? LEON Whatever you want. Mathilda thinks. The guy arrives behind the door. MAN Yes? MATHILDA Good morning, Mister... It's Danielle! MAN Huh! You made an error, baby. I don't know any Danielle. MATHILDA ...I got lost, Mister. MAN Huh? Move back, baby, I can't see anything. MATHILDA It's not me, it's dark here... and I can't find the switch. She looks at Leon and he mimicks "mean". MATHILDA Mister... I'm scared. Leon thumbs up. MAN Huh? Don't move, baby. Noise: the man is engaging the safety chain. Leon prepares his shears at the correct heigth. The man opens the door. The chain explodes. Leon already pulled out his silenced gun. The man is pressed against a wall. Mathilda looks around, takes the gum off the peephole, gets in the apartment and closes the door. Leon catches man's throat. LEON Open your mouth. The man obeys. Leon puts the silencer in his mouth. ...If you let the gun... I pull the trigger, OK? The man, sweaty, nods yes. Leon checks out the apartment and the man follows him like his shadow. Leon moves without paying attention to him, forgetting the man is totally concentrated to do not let the gun out of his mouth. In the living room, on the desk, syringes and the stuff for them. Leon finished checking, everything OK. They get in the bathroom. LEON (to Mathilda) We get there, good. (to the man) Let go. The man is so scared he doesn't want. ...You can let go, I said! At last, he lets go. ...Get to the end. The man obeys. Leon hands the gun to Mathilda. LEON (to Mathilda) Go... It's your time. She aims at him, concentrated. She signs to the man to move left. He obeys. She pulls the trigger. A dull noise. The man collapses to the the floor. LEON Good... Safety, now. The second shot. Mathilda approaches the man and shoots again. Maybe too low: a squirt of blood on her dresses. LEON Here it is! Look at your dresses, now! How can you walk in the street, now? He recovers his gun. ...Not a good work, this. When you shoot from this angle, you always get blood everywhere. You have to move aside and shoot with a little more angle... There... This way. He shoots. It makes no difference to the man. ...Can you see? Look: not a drop! Come on, try. He gives her the gun again. Mathilda moves on a side and shoots. Perfect. LEON Good. Mathilda returns the weapon. She looks for a little sign of gratitude, maybe a compliment, but Leon is hermetic. LEON ...Let's go. * * * * * * * * * * They are in a luxury restaurant. Leon pours some champagne. Mathilda is happy. They drink. Mathilda drinks everything in one gulp, like she's used to with milk. MATHILDA (slightly inebriated) I thought we can't drink? LEON It's true... But a first contract, it's an exception. MATHILDA And... May I kiss you, like in the movies, may this be an exception? Leon's champagne goes the wrong way. LEON (serious) ...No. Mathilda smiles. MATHILDA ...Yes. She stands up and sweetly turns around the table. LEON (not at ease) Mathilda, what are you doing? MATHILDA ...I'm going to kiss you. LEON Mathilda, stop, please! She heels on the bench, close to him. MATHILDA Come on, let me do. Just a kiss. She tries to kiss him. He avoids her. LEON Stop. Everyone is looking. MATHILDA Of course, so kiss me quickly, or they'll notice us. Leon gives up, at last. She sweetly kisses him. MATHILDA Tongue, please. Leon pushes her away, irritated. LEON No, that's enough! Sit down, now. Mathilda smiles and gets back to her seat. Good timing, the waiter arrives with their dishes. Mathilda exploits his presence to fill up again her glasses with champagne. The waiter gets away. Leon grabs the champagne bottle and voids it in the ice cup. MATHILDA ...You don't believe me, don't you? LEON What? MATHILDA When I say I love you. LEON Mathilda, don't resume, please. ...Change subject, OK? MATHILDA ...OK. (pause) I love you anyway. LEON Mathilda?! MATHILDA OK, OK! Excuse me! How old were you when you had your first contract? LEON ...17. Mathilda smiles and lifts the glass. MATHILDA Beat you! * * * * * * * * * * ANOTHER DAY - ANOTHER APARTMENT - RAIN OUTSIDE The building is a little more modern. They arrive in front of a door. Peephole. Chewing-gum. Shears. Ring. Routine. But today nobody replies. Leon nods. Mathilda rings again. Again nothing. LEON (thinking at high voice) I left him half-an-hour, after he got in... He couldn't get out from the back. Mathilda waits. Leon puts down his shears and pulls out a crowbar. LEON Stairways cover. Mathilda pulls a gun out of her jeans and gets in position near stairways. Leon pulls out a metal plate and slides it beneath the door, breaks the lock by the crowbar. The door is virtually intact. Leon gets in, weapon at hand. Leon moves in along the corridor. Mathilda is at the entry, now. LEON (low voice) Interior cover. Mathilda gets in and closes the door behind her, by the way she pulls in the shears Leon left outside. Leon is still moving, the living room is empty. Open windows, still rain. Leon sighs. LEON ...Shit!! We'd found him. We waited for him to get upstairs and he got out of the window. MATHILDA What shall we do? LEON I think. Mathilda turns back and walks toward the corridor. LEON Where are you going? MATHILDA Piddle. She smiles and looks for the bathroom. She finds it and is going to get in when she sees the head of a man in the bath, walkman on. She witholds a shout and gets against the wall, without moving. She doesn't dare passing before the open door again to join Leon. In the living room, Leon still thinks. LEON ...Why didn't he close the window? He looks around and sees man's overcoat, still wet. His wet shoes are on the radiator. LEON ...Because he didn't get out! Leon stands up, pulls out his gun and runs toward the corridor. Mathilda, against the wall, looks up, to make him understand "it's not too soon"! Leon advances. Mathilda mimicks to make him understand the bath, the walkman. Leon pulls out his personal periscope and looks into the bathroom. The man is still there, music at full blast. Leon puts away his periscope. LEON He's sleeping. He silently gets in the bathroom, followed by Mathilda. They sit down and look at the man, sleeping in the mid of his warm bath. Leon pulls out his silencer and screws it on the gun. MATHILDA It's cool departing this way... warm... music... LEON There are better things. You see the importance of the "moment". Ten minutes early or late, he'd have seen death. He'd have suffered it. This way, he already departed. Without knowing. MATHILDA ...I'd like knowing what he's listening to... LEON ...Later. Leon lifts his gun's cock and puts the weapon in front of the man. - Close-up: a finger pushes a lift's button. - Close-up: red light on, lift's coming. - Close-up: Leon's hands open a packet of chewing-gums. * * * * * * * * * * ANOTHER BUILDING - ANOTHER DAY Mathilda and Leon in the corridor of a banal building. Leon offers a chewing-gum to Mathilda, who accepts it. She's listening to a walkman. Leon sweetly pulls the headphones off her head. LEON (kindly) Mathilda, we're at work! No music, OK! She smiles. MATHILDA OK... I like it. It gives me the rhythm. He smiles. Mathilda finds the door, places her chewing-gum on the peephole and gets in position for her "chat". True routine. Leon in position. Mathilda rings the doorbell. MAN ...Yes? MATHILDA Excuse me, Mister... I'm looking for Mister Rubens' apartment, but it's dark out here and I got lost... MAN ...One second. She thumbs up, alright. Leon keeps concentrated. He hears a noise he knows. He searches in his memory. FLASH: Leon loads a kalashnikov. Same noise. Leon catches Mathilda and literally throws her to the soil. Behind her, the door explodes with numberless impacts. The man inside empties his charger on the door. Leon threw away his shears and pulled out his shotgun. He's furious, to this extent he fears for Mathilda. He gets concentrated as he's never been. The man inside shouldn't have become that nervous. Furthermore, he goes on. MAN Come on, little stupid? Is it enough or want some more! Then? Come on, show me your face! Come! MAN Did you think you could get me by such an old trick?! The gum trick, I played it before your birth, idiot! Come on, show me your little fucking face! The gum trick! Huh! I go. Mathilda's recovering. Leon sighs. LEON (to Mathilda) When it starts this way, it's bad. You have to make it quickly, or he'll keep us here for hours with his bullshit! Leon gets a hand under his overcoat and pulls out something. LEON (to the man) Hey!... What about the ring trick... Do you know it? MAN The ring trick? ...Come on, little idiot! Show me your famous trick. Come on, I'm waiting! Come! From the inside, you see a granade rolling in the apartment. MAN ...Shit. The apartment explodes. Nothing more. Leon turns toward Mathilda and shows her the ring in his hand. LEON This is the ring trick. Mathilda stupidly shakes her head: she's dismayed. * * * * * * * * * * TONY'S RESTAURANT About 4pm. Restaurant is desert, apart from Dino, who's keeping books at his usual table. An elegantly dressed man gets inside. He's forced to put away his sunglasses because of the fieble interior light. He looks nervous. He sits in front of Tony. He's a little surprised. TONY Tell me, there's nobody in the restaurant: you're not forced to sit at my table? MAN (still not at ease) ...I need company. The man pulls out his badge and hands it to Tony. He works for FBI. TONY Rinaldi... Rinaldi... What region do you come from? RINALDI Messina. TONY Emilio? Due grappe! (to Rinaldi) ...Why the hell did you come here? He returns his badge. RINALDI Rightly... I came here to recover. Rinaldi hands him a small photograph. Tony looks at it and turns it to read the notes on the back. TONY But... He works for your same employer? RINALDI Yeah, but I don't give a shit about. I trade at left, at right and that's dangerous in there... TONY It's a little out of the world coming to visit me this way, on mid afternoon. It really isn't the usual procedure... RINALDI I know... But I'm a little pressed. Tony is perplexed. TONY ...Who sent you? RINALDI Giancarlo... Rinaldi. Tony smiles. TONY Is he still alive? RINALDI Yeah... And still in Messina. It's my uncle. TONY Huh? Are you Alfredo's son, then? RINALDI No... Dino's. The kid didn't fall in the trap. TONY (smiling) ...It's true... How is he, the old Dino? RINALDI He's died, five years ago... TONY (saddened) Sorry... You see what's this job, you work, you work. You even don't care visiting friends now and then... He takes a blackboard and writes 16000 ahead. He gives it to Rinaldi. Rinaldi reads, then writes "Is it double". Tony smiles. TONY Have you ever been in Messina, son? RINALDI Yes... Twice. TONY Did you fish in Messina? The "pesce spada"? RINALDI No... TONY It's a specialty down there. It's a fishing boat with, in front, a long pole near the surface. Then, near the cabin, a very tall mast with a little cabin for the lookout. TONY A lookout above, one below, two fishers and a captain. A lot of people, for such a small boat like that. They depart to the sea, sometimes for days, never sure they'll get something. Rinaldi listens. Tony speaks and writes at the same time. Sometimes, it's a lot of work for nothing. ...And then you must know that, the bigger the fish is, the older it is, the more expert it is... ...Therefore, the more difficult he is to get. You understand what I mean, son? Rinaldi nods his head yes. Tony writes 12000 on the blackboard. RINALDI I think I will get back in Messina this summer... It's too long I haven't been there. TONY You're right, son. You must care the links with your family, always. It's the only important thing in the world. RINALDI ...Yeah. He says "yes" to the phrase and to the deal. Emilio delivers two grappas. Tony gives him the photo and the blackboard. The two drink. TONY Salute. RINALDI Salute. * * * * * * * * * * NEW APARTMENT - DECREPIT Leon prepares his tools. Mathilda sits on the windowsilk. Leon wears his overcoat. MATHILDA (sulky) ...I preferred the hotel. LEON Mathilda, hadn't you told that bullshit to the receptionist, we'd still be in the hotel, I make you notice. MATHILDA That wasn't bullshit, I said we love each other. LEON Yeah!... Anyway, I don't like hotels. Too much people, everyone's got the key... I don't like it. Mathilda gets even sulkier. ...I prefer apartments... Furthermore, there are always kids in a building. What about getting some friends? MATHILDA Friends? You're crazy! In my building, before, they just cared drugs all day and you couldn't get one, or they just cared videogames and you couldn't get one, no more. LEON You're darkening the picture, aren't you? MATHILDA A little... LEON Is there a normal 13 or 14 year old boy? MATHILDA Yeah... There's a lot on TV. Leon is slightly annoyed by Mathilda's lack of cooperation. LEON Well, then watch television! He switches on. ...I won't be long, Mathilda, OK? MATHILDA (kind) Why don't you take me with you? LEON It's too big. MATHILDA Yeah... I'm just good for left-overs! LEON (kind) Let me alone for a while, Mathilda, OK? My life changed since I met you, you know? ...I have to find back myself a little... And, last time, you really didn't pass... And I wouldn't enjoy seeing you explode against a wall... MATHILDA Risky business, isn't it? LEON ...You're young, Mathilda... You still have a chance to get out. You can't give up this chance. You have to protect it. There's a lot of things to do in life, a lot of other jobs... MATHILDA There are just two things I'm interested in: love and death. For the moment, I have none of the two! Leon tries to reply, vainly. LEON Mathilda... There's equally a lot of other things! MATHILDA Huh, really? What? Come on, I'm waiting! Leon searches. ...Nothing, I tell you! Everytihng else reminds me a big yogurt: warm and rancid. Leon laughs, she doesn't. LEON No, excuse me... It's the yogurt that made me laugh. MATHILDA You've just to love me and I'll be the happiest woman around. LEON Yeah, I know! But for the moment you're not yet a woman. So, be patient... I need time... And you too. You have to grow up. MATHILDA I don't grow up any more. I just get older. Leon sighs. He takes his case and gets out. LEON I won't be long. Two days at most, promised. He closes the door. Mathilda remains sad, at her window. * * * * * * * * * * RAIN ON THE CITY - MATHILDA'S BORED SERIES OF SHORT SEQUENCES - She's on the windowsilk and looks at the the flowing water that will temporarly clean the city. - She smokes a cigarette. - She opens the double bass. - She assembles and disassembles a uzi, last model. - She watches television, falls on her head, embedded in her soft chair. She eventually switches off, at this extent the programme bored her. - She finishes her syrup peaches, while listening to music. - She shoots some self-portraits by her polaroid, mandatory grimace. * * * * * * * * * * NO MORE RAIN - SUN RAYS OVER THE CITY Mathilda is at a public phone. MATHILDA ...Good day, Madam, may I talk with Jenny, please? JENNY Yes? MATHILDA (smiling) ...It's Mathilda. JENNY HEY!! But what did you do?! What happened?? It's months you've disappeared. Everyone thinks you got killed, at school, above all since some FBI guys got to school and asked a lot of questions about you! MATHILDA (surprised and proud) Huh?... Did they ask you any questions? JENNY Yeah, pal! And I didn't say anything, I said I don't know you. But do you know what did she say, that stupid Raphaella? MATHILDA No? JENNY She told them you wanted her things and that she wasn't surprised police looked for you! Can you believe it?! MATHILDA Asshole. But she won't miss anything, that. You'll see. JENNY Good, what are you going to do? Do you come back? MATHILDA No... I can't... I got tired. I want to live my way. JENNY (surprised) ...Did you leave alone? MATHILDA (smiling) ...No. Jenny shouts. JENNY YEAH! I was sure! Come on, tell me! I know him? MATHILDA No. JENNY Come on, shit, tell me! Is he beautiful? MATHILDA (moved) ...Yes, I think. JENNY I can't believe it! "Yes I think"... How she kids me! I can't believe it! And did he pass your thresold or not? MATHILDA ...What? JENNY Well... Did you sleep with him or not? MATHILDA No... Not yet. He's very shy... and very sensitive. JENNY ...Good... But what's special in him? MATHILDA ...I don't know... It's true he touches me. I love him. Tears slide down along Mathilda's cheeks. I'll miss you, Jenny. She softly puts down the receiver. Sun recovers. City is yellow. * * * * * * * * * * TONY'S RESTAURANT The old Tony at his usual table. Three little boys in front of him. Their hands on their eyes. TONY Don't peep, OK? Attention... Emilio arrives and puts down a chocolate cake with five candles on it. TONY You can look! The boys shout with joy. Stansfield now gets in the restaurant with six men. Tony immediately stiffens. Stansfield blows on the candles and leans toward the children with a stupid smile. STANSFIELD Happy birthday! Without smiling, he signs one of his men to regroup the kids with Emilio. The children obey. As if they feel it's not the moment to bother. Tony doesn't oppose. TONY You'd better talk good, son, because, for the moment, I've got a quite bad opinion about you. Norman smiles. STANSFIELD I respect your business, Mister Tony. Every time we asked your help, we were very happy with the result. It's right this that makes me nervous, now. I hope you'll excuse my temporarly bad mood? TONY Then... STANSFIELD (to one of his men) Take me the pork! One takes in the young Rinaldi who had visited Tony. His face is made swell, unrecognizable. STANSFIELD Do you recognize him? TONY ...Even his mother wouldn't. Stansfield looks at Rinaldi. STANSFIELD You're right. He pulls out his gun and kills him. Like one kills an insect. Tony strongly stiffens. Emilio looks after the children. STANSFIELD I've got an offer for you: you keep your 12000$, you call back your shitful cleaner and you tell him the contract is cancelled. You see, the man to be killed is my boss, and I'd be really sorry with losing him because he's a good boss. He lets me work like I wish... It's fine. And 12000$ to do nothing aren't bad, aren't they? Tony is really disturbed. TONY Listen, son, you know as well as me this kind of hitmen: they come from nowhere, get the contract and disappear. They're lonely, worse than wolves. STANSFIELD May we have this wolf's name and address? TONY These guys have no place. They change virtually everyday. And his name... It's a surname. Stansfield pauses. He stares at Tony. STANSFIELD (to his right hand) Take me the children... Tony closes his eyes. Stansfield puts his gun on the table. Children make a row in front of the table. STANSFIELD ...Come on, I make you a favour. Tell me which is the one you love least. I'll kill him first. Tony slightly sighs. TONY You know, boy, I know their parents very well; I think they won't appreciate your sense of humour. STANSFIELD (falsely naive) Huh, really? TONY (serious) If you touch them, you'll have all the hitmen of the city on your ass! STANSFIELD (pause) ...You're right. It's a little risky. Stansfield takes his gun and kills Emilio. STANSFIELD It's good he had no family. Come on, speak, now! Tony is petrified. Children shout and get under the table. STANSFIELD Else, I'll have to ruin this birthday. TONY (surrendering) ...Leon... Leone MONTANA. I know he's in a small hotel in Noho... But I don't know where... Houston Street, I think... I can't tell you more... Even if you kill all the neighbourood. Stansfield puts away his gun and stands up. STANSFIELD Thanks Tony. Justice will be grateful for your precious collaboration. He points at Emilio's corpse. ...Would you like me to call the police, for this little incident? Tony looks down, then shakes his head no. Stansfield smiles. STANSFIELD Good! The group gets out. Children get in Tony's arms. * * * * * * * * * * NEW BUILDING Mathilda sits at stairways' end, in front of a long corridor and a small court. Five kids, about 13-year-old, play baseball in the corridor. THE BOSS You're the new one at 5th? Mathilda nods yes. THE BOSS Shall we explain her everything, ok? This will avoid misunderstandings. Mathilda waits, curious. (to Mathilda) You can't sit here like that. MATHILDA Huh? Why? THE BOSS Because you have to pay. It's like parkmeters: if you stay, you pay. It's the rule... MATHILDA ...And how much is it? THE BOSS Ten dollars... A month. Mathilda looks at them and pulls out a roll of 100$ notes. MATHILDA Got the change for 100? The kid is impressed but tries not to show. THE BOSS (playing serious) ...Wait, Poly's the treasurer. (to Poly) Poly, have you got the change for 100? POLY (shrugging his shoulders) Why do you ask me? You know I haven't a dollar! Mathilda saves his face. She hands him the note. MATHILDA ...It's not serious... It means I'll pay ten months in advance. The kid takes the money, perplexed. THE BOSS ...OK... Good. MATHILDA Can I sit on the stairways now? THE BOSS Huh... Yeah, yeah... Of course. Everyone is surprised by Mathilda's calm. A KID ...Would you like a cigarette? MATHILDA Yes... Thanks. Another kid lights it. The last one pulls out a bottle of whisky. THE KID A little draught? MATHILDA No thanks... Never alcohol. * * * * * * * * * * LATER - IN THE COURT The kids and Mathilda play baseball. The ball gets to Mathilda. A little too fast: she avoids it. THE BOSS (shouting) Huh! Mathilda, bitch! Run! Run! Mathilda runs, gets the ball and launches it very awkwardly. The boss is furious. ...Bitch! You're really nil! Come on, get away! Get back to your stairways! Mathilda abandons the game, oppressed. THE BOSS You fear a ball?! I can't believe it!! Gals!... Come on, let's play, not a game for gals! Mathilda stands up, this time she's really annoyed. She gets upstairs. She opens the violin and takes a gun. Downstairs, kids have a pause. THE BOSS Good, let's have a break, five minutes. Poly? Cigarettes. Mathilda joins back the kids downstairs. MATHILDA Look, the fearful's got a game for you. She pulls out the gun, opens the cylinder. ...You can show me your balls! Russian roulette, you know? * * * * * * * * * * IN FRONT OF MATHILDA'S BUILDING Police line. Two cops guard. Open ambulance waiting for its load. Leon arrives by cab. He immediately realizes something happened. Mathilda. He's worried about her. He gets off the cab. He stammers something to the first cop. LEON ...I live in here... He breaks through. At the end of the corridor, near stairways, a little corpse, covered by a white sheet. Blood at one end. Two male nurses easily lift the corpse and lay it down on the stretcher. Leon's scared by that sheet, that little corpse. He lifts one end. Big sport shoes. Far from Mathilda's small feet. He's going to climb upstairs, but a cop blocks him. COP No entry for the moment. LEON I live in here. The cop puts an hand on Leon's chest to stop him COP When I say no entry, I mean "no entry". He said this with a bad tone. Leon stares at him. IN THE APARTMENT A plain clothes detective sits in front of Mathilda, who's crying on her couch. Evidently, the cop's waiting for her to stop crying, for interrogation. He looks at his wristwatch. Another two cops calmly, sweetly check out the apartment. Routine. They pass by the double bass without opening it. Leon gets in. She jumps in his arms. He's relieved. She cries with joy. LEON (sweet) Come on, it's over, I'm here. MATHILDA (in tears) You mustn't leave me, Leon... I do stupid things, when you're not here. LEON I'm here, I'll never leave you again, Mathilda, never. I swear. MATHILDA I love you so much, Leon. LEON I love you too, and I don't want to lose you. The cop is really stunned by Leon's arrival. COP Can I have a word with you, Mister? Are you her father? Leon signs him "stop". The cop is slightly annoyed by such an authority. LEON (to Mathilda, sweetly) What did you do? What happened? Tell me. He caresses her hair. She's calming down. MATHILDA ...Well... The kids. They didn't want me to play baseball. They said I'm a fearful gal. The cop listens, interested. LEON Poor darling, and then? MATHILDA Well... I proposed them to play roulette... Like we played... She resumes crying. ...And I lost. He takes her in his arms. The cop is stunned. LEON Don't cry, Mathilda, please. Take. (hanky) Prepare your case and we get away for a while, OK? We change neighbourood! Come on, go, I wait, OK? COP (determined) Mister? I'd like seeing your papers. Leon already pulled out his gun and showed his identity. Thrice. LEON Come on, prepare your stuff, we move in a much calmer place, you'll see. Near the country. Leon doesn't care he just killed three cops. Mathilda puts her polaroid and her teddy bear in her sack. A photo falls on the ground. They leave the apartment. No more double bass. Just violin and sack. While going downstairs, one realizes how difficult Leon's climb was: killed cops at virtually every floor. They get out of the backdoor. Leon and Mathilda, holding each other's hand, walk across the city. Sun's tired. City's orange. * * * * * * * * * * It's almost night when Stansfield and his men arrive in front of Leon and Mathilda's building. In the apartment, three corpses covered by white sheets. Police commander on place. STANSFIELD gets in. COMMANDER (nervous) ...What are you doing in here? Stansfield checks out the apartment. STANSFIELD ...I've been following the guy for a while. STANSFIELD finds the forgotten polaroid photo. STANSFIELD is perplexed, then recognizes the girl. COMMANDER May I know this typhoon's name? STANSFIELD ...Leon. * * * * * * * * * * Leon's having a shower. Face in his hands. Evidently, he's trying to recover. New apartment's door opens, after a few knocks that look like a code. Mathilda gets in. Leon quickly moves in the bathroom. His hand approaches a gun. LEON Mathilda? Mathilda passes before bathroom's door and scratches it without stopping. MATHILDA Yes... Alright. She gets in the room and unpacks her things, including cosmetics. She gets close to the window and starts making up herself. Leon in a towel, small for his size. He gets in the living room. LEON Mathilda? MATHILDA (out of scene) Yes.... I'm arriving. Leon gets to the window and looks out. Something changed in Leon. He's tired by all this, maybe. He sits on the chair. Mathilda's walkman is on. He hesitates, then eventually puts on the headphones. It's a sweet, almost classical music. Very beautiful, like the arriving Mathilda. She wears the dress Leon offered her, she's made up. She looks 20-year-old. Leon's mouth is open. She smiles and heels down before him. He gets off the headphones. LEON What's going on? MATHILDA (surprised) Nothing... Why? LEON Well... I don't know, suddenly, the make up... All this... How are you? Are you OK? MATHILDA Of course! I'm fine! I put on your beautiful dress, I slightly made up... I tried to get beautiful! Don't you like it? LEON (shy) ...Yes. MATHILDA So say it! LEON (pause) ...I like it... Mathilda smiles and stands up. She gets in the kitchen. Leon feels weird, like he was falling in a trap, without being able to do anything. Mathilda comes back with a glass of milk she hands to Leon. She lowers the tents to dim the strong sunlight. Mathilda heels down in front of him. Leon doesn't dare moving any more. MATHILDA ...Don't you drink? LEON I prefer waiting for a while... I feel it would go the wrong way. Mathilda takes the glass from his hands and drinks half. She passes her tongue along her lips to dry up the milk. Leon looks at her, like a child in front of a sweet. She returns his milk. Mathilda looks like a calm cat. MATHILDA (sweetly) I love you, Leon... Totally. It's the first time I feel it that strong. It's also the first time I trust a man. I trust you. She caresses his hand. ...I love your hands... (pause) Leon... in your hands... I'd like you to be my first lover. Leon retracts his hand and finishes the milk. He looks at Mathilda with as much sadness as happiness. By a fingertip, Mathilda takes the milkdrop on Leon's lips and gets it in her mouth. Leon is going to cry. LEON (feeling bad) ...I can't, Mathilda... I can't. MATHILDA (with a sad smile) ...Have you got a girlfriend? LEON ...No... MATHILDA ...Don't you like me? LEON (sincerely) ...Yes... (pause) ...You're the most beautiful, Mathilda. Mathilda looks relieved by these magic words. She puts her face on Leon's lap, who caresses her hair. MATHILDA You know, girls think about their first boyfriend for a long time... I imagined him with grizzled hair, elegant... A little like Georgia's father. Georgia is a classmate of mine... Kinda guy makes you feel sure! Cool, isn't it? Leon nods yes, without really knowing what he's saying "yes" to. My mates told me the first time they made love was awful. They had pain everywhere, afterward... But that's because they made it with