Léon: The Professional (Theatrical and Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]

Léon: The Professional (Theatrical and Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]
by Luc Besson

Léon: The Professional (Theatrical and Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]

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Blu-ray details

Actor: Danny Aiello, Gary Oldman, Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Peter Appel
Director: Luc Besson
Brand: Son
Cinematographer: Thierry Arbogast
Producer: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson
Producer: Bernard Grenet
Producer: Claude Besson
Producer: John Garland
Producer: Patrice Ledoux
Blu-ray: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Portuguese (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 132 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2009-11-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Product features:

Condition: New
Format: Blu-ray
AC-3; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; Subtitled; Widescreen

Blu-ray Reviews of Léon: The Professional (Theatrical and Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]

Blu-ray Review: Blu-ray: Oh does this film look great on Blu...and you get both versions of the film as well!
Summary: 5 Stars

Hot after his film "La Femme Nikita", in 1994 Luc Besson ("The Fifth Element", "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc", writer of "The Transporter" films) would go on to work on his film "Leon" (Leon the Professional). The film was written and directed by Besson and featured music by Eric Serra ("The Fifth Element", "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc", "GoldenEye") and cinematography by Thierry Arbogast ("Babylon AD", "Femme Fatale", "Kiss of the Dragon", "The Messanger: The Story of Joan of Arc).

The film would reunite Besson with popular French action star Jean Reno (Mission: Impossible", "Ronin", "The Da Vinci Code", "The Pink Panther") who he worked on in "Nikita" and "Le grand bleu" and would be the first major film for 12-year-old actress at the time, Natalie Portman ("Star Wars: Episodes I-III", "V for Vendetta", "Paris, je `taime"). For the most part, the film received mostly positive critic reviews but also some controversy as the film would feature an older man raising a young girl and teaching her how the life of a hitman. Let alone, a 12-year-old who is attracted to an older man.

"Leon the Professional" had an original theatrical release but there was an extended version (or Director's Cut) featuring an extra 24-minutes of footage which focuses on Leon training Mathilda but also the emotional connection the two have for each other. Both are included on the Blu-ray release and personally, I prefer the extended version as the screenplay focuses a lot on the friendship between Leon and Mathilda.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

When I first saw "Leon the Professional", I admit that I was happy. Why? Many films created between 1986-1996 and released on Blu-ray, some really look their age, transfer is not all that great or is very soft but for "Leon the Professional", the colors are vibrant, blacks are nice and deep and detail can be seen. The old buildings that Leon and Mathilda live in, you can see all the cracks and how old they look. It just seems much more clearer. Sharpness is great and the colors just pop. There is a nice amount of grain as well and no softness. This doesn't look like a film that is 15-years-old. So, needless to say...picture quality is fantastic.

Audio quality is equally impressive. Featured in 5.1 DTS-HD MA (in English, French and Portuguese), there are really good action sequences and gun fights that really utilize the soundscape from the front, center and surround channels. Especially during the final confrontation, the film sounds great. Music by Eric Serra also helps create the mood. For the most part, this is not an action film that is overly aggressive as most of the film is dialogue-based between Leon and Mathilda but for the most part, when the action scenes do happen, you'll definitely hear those gun shots, machine gun rattling, explosions really clear.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Leon the Professional" on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:
# 10 Year Retrospective: Cast and Crew Look Back - (25:09) A featurette released on the 2004 DVD. A virtual reunion with interviews with the cast talking about a film they made 10 years ago. How the film came to be made and how the talent were cast for the film.
# Jean Reno: The Road to Leon - (12:25) A featurette about Jean Reno, his personal life of him growing up and his previous works that led to him playing the character of Leon.
# Natalie Portman: Starting Young - (13:49) Natalie Portman talks about reading the script at 11-years-old and wanting to do the part despite her parents feeling it was inappropriate. Working with Jean Reno and Luc Besson and how she was able to accomplish those emotional crying scenes and more.
# Fact Track - Viewers can watch the extended version of the film with a fact track.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Leon the Professional" is a riveting, action-packed film. And for those who are familiar with Luc Besson films, you expect intense gunfighting sequences and plenty of destruction. Granted, he has done a lot more of that now with recent films but back in 1994, "Leon the Professional" was entertaining then and 15-years later, continues to be quite entertaining now.

Jean Reno is really good playing those action, hitman type of scenes. He's a tough guy but Luc Besson knows how to utilize his character quite well in his films. Gary Oldman is always a fantastic villain and his character Stansfield is just repulsive. Murdering young children definitely made the viewer want either Leon or Mathilda to really get their revenge on him by the end of the film. And the way it played out, was well-done. But as Reno and Oldman were fantastic, Natalie Portman was incredible. The actress demonstrated in this film that she can be an actress that can excel in emotional scenes and for the most part, back in 1994, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that she would grow up to be an actress to watch for. Overall, great acting by the three main characters of the film.

As for the controversy which led the film to be cut for its theatrical version, I can understand where opposition groups were coming from. Mathilda was a child that was raised in a dysfunctional setting and she has been emotionally damaged that the only person that she sees as her savior was Leon. A man who lives in isolation and his best friend is a plant. But of course, there is a sense of sadness that broods with the character of Leon and somehow, these two find comfort within each other. For Leon, it's more of a friend, while Mathilda, looks at it her emotions as being in love. Nevertheless, for those who get disturbed by those scenes of Mathilda's emotional anguish (ala Russian Roulette) and the fact that Leon trains Mathilda on how to kill people (using a paint gun), there is a theatrical version included on the Blu-ray that eliminates those scenes and an extended version that contains those extra 24 minutes.

As for the Blu-ray, I just felt the picture quality was fantastic for an early 90's film. With quite a few 90's films that looks its age, the amount of colors and detail for on this HD release was great and the audio quality was also great. Fans of the film will definitely enjoy this Blu-ray release, especially since it has both theatrical and extended versions of the film.

Overall, a solid Blu-ray release for "Leon the Professional". Highly recommended!

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Description of Léon: The Professional (Theatrical and Extended Edition) [Blu-ray]

Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello star in Leon: The Professional, a go-for-broke thriller about a professional assassin whose work becomes dangerously personal. Calling himself a "cleaner", the mysterious Leon (Reno) is New York's top hitman. When his next-door neighbors are murdered, Leon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family's sole survivor - 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman), but Mathilda doesn't just want protection; she wants revenge. Training her in the deadly tricks of his trade, Leon helps her track the psychotic agent (Oldman) who murdered her family.

Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) made his American directorial debut with this stylized thriller about an Italian hit man (Jean Reno) who takes in an American girl (Natalie Portman) being pursued by a corrupt killer cop (Gary Oldman). Oldman is a little more unhinged than he should be, but there is something genuinely irresistible about the story line and the relationship between Reno and Portman. Rather than cave in to the cookie-cutter look and feel of American action pictures, Besson brings a bit of his glossy style from French hits La Femme Nikita and Subway to the production, and the results are refreshing even if the bullets and explosions are awfully familiar. --Tom Keogh

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