The document provides an analysis of the films Leon and Scarface. It summarizes: - Leon follows an assassin who takes in a 12-year-old girl after her family is killed. Their unconventional relationship challenges genre conventions. Scarface depicts Tony Montana's rise in the drug trade and his demise due to greed, ending with no happiness and serving as a lesson. - Both films subvert expectations for the action thriller genre through aspects like their main characters' deaths and relationships in Leon, and Scarface showing the dark reality of drug dealing rather than glorifying it.

1. PR3: Leon: How We Respond To Media Products
We respond to media products in many different ways some of the Approaches may be in the
manner in which we analyse: genre, narrative, semiotics and representation. This essay will help
define the genre of an action thriller and what it offers the audience.
Leon was a film I studied written and directed by Luc Besson himself. The main cas t were named
Jean Reo and Natalie Portman playing the roles of Leon and Mathilda. The basic storyline of the film
was based up a trained, professional assassin taking responsibility of a young 12 year old girl after
her family got shot down by a gang associated with the police in the middle of New York City. After
he becomes close with this girl, they begin to start something of a strange relationship between one
another; which began to grow quiet uncomfortable for the audience.
In the first act we establish who the characters are, and what personality they have. We consider
their costume, body language and the way they are represented on a whole. For example Leon, we
know straight away in the first scene that this hit man is not an ordinary one, he is an assassin
trained to kill anything that intrudes his space. His dress sense is not fashionable, or his looks aren’t
overly attractive such as a conventional hero type of character would be. However as his only love is
his plant the audience begin to see another side to him, someone craving love and attention, which
he finally receives from Mathilda. Mathilda is a disturbed child, brought up in a family that simply
doesn’t care about education, wellbeing and their life purpose. The way she dressed in her short
dress and choker, is too much for a 12 year old girl to wear, her seductive mannerism towards Leon
is noticed to be quiet wrong and uncomfortable. The characters personalities are extremely
unconventional for an Action Thriller movie, and completely break the rules of a stereotypical Action
Thriller. The only thing that is conventional to an Action Thriller would be the location and setting.
The movie is set in the middle of New York City, we notice this as the very first and last shot is a full
length shot of New York’s famous known buildings, which we see in most Action Thrillers. It’s
become the norm to have an Action Thriller film to be filmed in New York City, or it would be
unsuccessful. When we notice all the inciting incidents we begin to notice how disturbed and dark
this film is. We watch the whole of Mathilda’s family be murdered including her four year old little
brother. With this scene in the original cut film, didn’t know the four year old boy being brutally
murdered. However there is an uncut version of this film which does show the boy being killed.
Personally I think that the fact there is two versions of the film give the audience and option,
whether they want to watch a cut and uncut version. Some females of the audience especially may
have been emotionally disturbed by this scene as it shows no mercy on a four year old boy, a boy
that hasn’t been able to start his own life because his father was involved in a drug bust.

2. As the films plays we notice the rising action in act two. Through this bloody murder happening to
Mathilda’s family she begins to want revenge on the gang that did this. Which is quiet an acceptable
feeling to have after something so traumatic? However her being 12 doesn’t give her much
advantage on learning different skills and handling weapons as Leon does. She asks for Leon’s help,
and if he could train her to be just like him, an assassin. As we learn more about Mathilda’s
character and how she reacts the Leon being around her, we realise she has become quiet corrupt,
disturbed by this traumatic incident that she becomes infatuated with Leon himself. Leon agrees to
look after Mathilda and become her carer/guardian. Which we notice is quiet a step up for Leon as
he is a very lonely man. He has never had something that feels like family or love. To protect her he
goes above and beyond and ends up killing the whole of the corrupt police force, excluding
Stansfield. This film has already show unconventional it is for an Action Thriller movie, the
relationship between Leon And Mathilda isn’t 100% appropriate as Mathilda see’s Leon as a man she
could fall in love with, instead of seeing him as a father figure as most 12 year olds would see. The
climax happens and Mathilda escapes, leaving Leon behind in his apartment whilst the corrupt police
and Stansfield try their best to put Leon down. We begin to see how clever and cunning Leon is
when he tricks the police force and exists through the back doors wearing a police costume.
However doesn’t escape to his future as he is shot dead by Stansfield. This is also a very
unconventional thing to happen in an Action Thriller. Usually the hero survives and the bad guy dies,
but in this case both characters die. This part of the film going against the conventions of an Action
thriller really becomes exciting, and realistic. Something the audience doesn’t want to see, but
knows that in reality not everything goes to plan.
In act three we begin to see the falling action. After Leon’s death, Mathilda is given Leon’s money
that his boss has kept safe in case anything fatal happened to him. With this money, she walks to the
private school she was set to go to before this tragic event happened. They question her on her
disappearance, but then finally accept her back into the school, as Leon gave her his plant, that he
has cherished for years. Mathilda plants the plant in a lovely spot where it can grow. She does think
as it was special to Leon, therefore special to her. The fact she plants his plant shows us she wants to
remember him, and let a part of him live. Although she felt more sexually attracted to Leon, he
never once acted upon it as he didn’t feel that same way, or if did; knew it was inappropriate. .

3. The theme throughout this film is Life and Death. We know this as right at the very beginning of the
film there are multiple deaths, a whole family murdered including the young child. However the
family were not portrayed in a good light and the audience didn’t have anything to fall in love with
within the family. The family was a broken family; they didn’t have money so they turned to selling
drugs for a corrupt police officer. The mother wasn’t a good role model, doing drugs and drinking.
The father was a drug dealer, and the daughter was rude and spoilt. So the audience didn’t
appreciate them as they weren’t good people. However the four year old boy who was killed was
innocent and young. Life represented the plant, and how Leon saved Mathilda’s life by becoming
her guardian, a role model to her teaching her how to protect herself and rely on other people
except for herself.
To conclude this study on Leon, we have discussed The 3 Act Linear Structure, and also discussed
how this genre of film is conventional, however Leon goes against these stereotypical conventions
by a number of things such as Leon’s death, Mathilda’s relationship with Leon, and the four year old
boy being murdered. We have established the character’s personality’s and backgrounds and have
also analysed why Action Thrillers are continuously set in the location of New York City.
Scarface: How We Respond To Media Products
Scarface is one of the most famous action thrillers of all time starring Al Pacino as Tony and
Steven beaur as Manny. The film was released in 1983 and this American crime drama
movie was a huge hit. Its message to the audience is revealed in a brutal, punishing way as
Tony Montana becomes the biggest successful drug dealer in Miami. His greed and careless
mind drives him to his own death. I will discuss how the linear of the film is presented and
how we can split the movie into sections such as the exposition, inciting incident, rising
action, climax, falling action and denouement.
At the very start of the film we are introduced to Tony himself and his best friend Manny.
We can tell straight away that their relationship is built on trust, and respect towards one
another. They both are trying to become legal immigrants in Miami, so they can start their
lives and become successful men. They want to meet lots of women and live the ‘high life’ in

4. Miami. However we can tell by their vocabulary, and body language and clothes they are
starting this life style from the very bottom. Both characters a presented as relentless,
stereotypical Cuban men, aggressive and involved with violence. In the first few scenes we
see Tony stab another man in the camp they are staying in, this act of violence gives the
audience an idea of what to expect from this character, he shows no mercy. However
Manny, Tony’s best friend Manny is very similar, he wants to be a business man and start his
career and life in Miami. As Tony’s best friend he shows his loyalty towards him as we watch
in this same scene hold the man who Tony stabs. So from this one scene we know their
social class, their personality and the way they look on life. By committing murder together
as a team, we notice this is going to be a dangerous, brutal movie.
Once both characters agree to become business men in the drug dealing industry, they
agree to drop off money to a Columbian enemy, in exchange for a mass amount of cocaine.
This is where the inciting incident begins. As they are doing the deal, guns start to be fired.
The Columbians capture Tony, and start to Abuse his friend. As Manny waits in the car for
them things start to turn sour. Tony is placed in front of his friend while they begin to saw
into Tony’s friend’s body, as they killed the man this is where we see Tony wanting revenge
and wanting more power to control situations like these.
As Tony has seen such a brutal death, which was also his friend, he becomes more
encouraged to become more powerful in the industry. After being in partnership with
another successful drug dealer, which he has learnt from Tony becomes greedy, he wants
more and more money and power. So he buys a huge mansion where he and his new wife
(Michelle Pfeiffer) live. Everything seems to be going good in this new life style he has
created. However once he finds out his best friend Manny has married his sister, Tony see’s
red. He marches to his sister’s house, and shoots Manny dead. His jealously and
protectiveness over his own sister becomes overpowering causing him to kill his best friend,
the only person he trusted. Tony feels as if Manny has betrayed him, he thinks no man is
good enough for his little sister. This scene would be classed as the rising action. However it
goes against the usual rising action, normally once the inciting incident happens the
character wants revenge, or improves them in some form. However in this film it makes the
main character become crazy, paranoid and greedy. We see Tony become so wrapped up in
his career that he no longer cares about his best friend, his wife and his sister’s happiness.
The only thing he cares about is his supply, his money and what he is going to concur power
over next. The audience begins to dislike Tony’s character; they don’t aspire to be like him
anymore. This also goes against the typical action film as usually the main character is who
the audience supports and enjoys.
The climax happens when Tony hits rock bottom, and so does his sister. Tony sat taking his
own supply of drugs, while his sister pleads for her freedom and independence which he has
took away from her a gang of rival drug dealers attack the Montana mansion. Shooting
Tony’s sister dead. We see him realise in this moment he has let greed steal his soul, his

5. sister dead, his best friend dead, and his wife doesn’t love him, he is completely alone with
his money and drugs. He picks up the gun, and fires at every man that crosses his path in the
house. This is where the famous tag line of the film is spoken by Tony ‘Say hello to my little
friend’ seconds later he is shot dead and falls from his own balcony. This movie ends with no
happiness, just a lesson for the audience.
As we see Tony and Manny start off in their career in drug dealing, both of their
appearances change. Their outfits become smarter and more fashionable. They wear suits
and have styled hair. The film almost promotes being a drug dealer; you get all the
fashionable clothes and money on demand. By promoting being involved in this type of
business is bad for the audience. You could apply the hypodermic syringe mode to this, as
young people watching this film look at what the characters didn’t have when they we ren’t
involved with drugs. Which was nothing, Tony and his friend was poor, had no money no
fashionable clothing and no girls. However as soon as they become drug dealers they have
as much money as they can get, they have all the latest clothes, and they always have a girl
on their arm. This could encourage young people to become involved with drugs, and
choose to word towards getting a job or a legal career. However this concept of being a drug
dealer isn’t always how it turns out. Not forgetting this is illegal and forbidden in most
countries, dealing class A drugs can lead to years in prison.
In conclusion, I have made clear the different sections of this film; it has a very clear linear
pattern. Although the story glorifies being involved in the drug industry at the beginning, it
really crashes this outlook on drug dealing down, as we see his greed grow and grow which
leads to his own death, as well as his best friends and sister’s death. The audience wanted
to see a happy ending, Manny and Tony’s sister happily married and Tony being a successful
man. However just like Leon, happy endings aren’t always realistic. So this film also goes
again the stereotypical features a usual Action Thriller would provide.