A movie where the French, or a Frenchman, are/is the hero of a movie?

The Professional. Good flick.

Leon was Italian in the The Professional. You might want to check out “Brotherhood of the Wolf”, it’s a French film that was re-dubbed into english. Very good stuff. Also check out “Good Cop, Bon Cop” (Canadian film, very very good). “Banlieue 13” (District 13) is a very good french film as well, and it’s sequel “Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum” was also quite entertaining although definitely less serious than the first. Both are also available in English or French with subtitles.

—@ApolloX64 Are you sure? I thought he just worked for the Italians. Hey, thanks for the recommends, I love films. Netflix here I come.

If you are gonna watch The Professional again, I advise watching the European cut, called Leon, the Professional. It has an extra 25 minutes or so.
Hercule Poirot was from Belgium, so I suppose he doesn’t count.

@Filmfann

I love that film (The Professional) but does the European cut have subtitles?

How does one go about finding the European cut for rental? Or do you have to buy it?

Gary Oldman’s performance was great, even tho a small part. And Natalie Portman was a lot better here than in Star Wars.

Fwiw. I also thought he was French in this film. His accent sure was.

Fantastic film.

( Also for Oldman fans, check out Romeo is Bleeding. Very unique film. Also fabulous. A plot that keeps you on your toes and unable to predict the end.

@ApolloX64 Another vote for District 13. Didnt know there was a sequel.

The Pink Panther movies
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Man on Wire
Ratatouille

Manon des Sources was a pretty good movie, in a slow, French sort of way. Rather long (we watched it in two sittings – I recommend it anyway because there’s a huge timeskip between Part 1 and Part 2), with a twist at the end that’s right up there with the one in The Sixth Sense, only with fewer dead people.

According to his character bio, Leon was an Italian immigrant who fled to the states. However, this does not cancel out the fact that Jean Reno is an awesome actor and you should see The Professional anyways. :P

The French are cast as the good guys in Godzilla (the new one) and Timeline. They are supporting cast in both instances. Godzilla‘s French characters have more depth, but Timeline has, IMO, a more engaging premise.

Your best bet is French cinema. We all like to see our own in the limelight.

There’s Chocolat, too, but that’s a better example of a crime against nature than of heroic Frenchmen.

@Buttonstc Leon – The Professional is available on DVD, and is in English. It is simply a longer version than the American cut. Much more on her training to be an assassin. It does have captioning and subtitles for the deaf, but only as an option.

Does it have to be a war / action movie? Does French Kiss count? The Frenchman in that movie starts off as an ass and ends up winning the lady.