12-year old Mathilda (Natalie Portman) sees her family murdered after her father cheats crooked cop Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman). She finds shelter at neighbor Leon's (Jean Reno) and discovers his unusual profession - killing for hire. She begs his help in taking revenge for the death of her little brother. Leon does his best to stay uninvolved and keep Mathilda out of trouble, but soon finds himself her mentor in the mission to avenge and save her life as well.

CRITIQUE

Léon: The Professional is the essential hitman film even though it’s about many things. First and foremost it’s a story about two people who in the most unconventional way find love and respect for each other. It takes a while for Leon and Mathilda to bond, but their relationship feels true and unique. Both characters transcend well off the screen, and even after my tenth viewing of this film I still feel with and care for them all the way to the end. Possibly Luc Besson’s best film, Léon is exciting, heartfelt, humorous, smart, violent, and rewarding.

Leon’s first appearance is in Besson’s 90s hit La Femme Nikita, a film about a very distraught woman who gets a second chance in life, although the new life adds more strain and emotional pain to her psyche. Jean Reno enters late in the film as Leon the cleaner and he helps Nikita complete her assignment. Nikita is also a terrific film and shares similarities with Léon, but the latter stands out for several reasons. First, I can identify more easily with the major characters, and second they are more likeable. Jean Reno is simply awesome as Léon, especially when he delivers a hit in the beginning of the film, and the required emotional side of the character is strong and clearly evident in Reno’s performance. Up until Mathilda shows up at this front door, Léon has lived a quiet and lonely life in New York. This uncut international version adds a great scene late in the film about Leon’s background.

Secondly, Natalie Portman is both sweet and zealous. For a then 12-year old actress to have as much emotional range as her is something special. She handles the dramatic elements with certain ease, but that’s not to say it’s easy to show tears and anger convincingly. Portman’s Mathilda changes from a mostly innocent girl to a fragile, determined young woman. It’s a stretch of sorts, but Portman pulls it off in expert and charming ways. Next, who can forget Gary Oldman as the evil (yes, evil), corrupt cop Norman Stansfield. The character could’ve ended up as a throwaway or cliché, but Oldman adds some serious gold and notoriety to his performance, making his confrontations with Mathilda and Leon all the more chilling. Moreover, Danny Aiello is worth mentioning as Leon’s best friend and boss.

This Superbit release presents Léon in the Uncut International Version, which adds 26 minutes of extra footage. In fact, this version makes the film so much better. It adds more tension, but most importantly produces a more whole and satisfying experience. Among the new scenes is a terrific and exciting training sequence involving Léon and Mathilda knocking down doors of unsuspected people and confronting one drug dealer in his apartment. Also new are scenes that include Mathilda threatening to shoot herself playing Russian roulette, Léon and Mathilda celebrating her first hit at a fancy restaurant, Mathilda asking Léon to have sex with her and him refusing, Léon explaining his reasons for leaving Italy when he was 19 years old, and a few more. Basically, several new subplots are added to the film.

Plus, there’s more of Eric Serra’s haunting, ethereal score now. Serra captures the emotion and intensity of the film very well. Moreover, Thierry Arbogast’s cinematography is great. He utilizes the widescreen format greatly to enhance the viewing experience. Though most notably of all is Luc Besson’s script and direction. In Léon he creates a perfect and fragile cast of characters, and through his direction he gives the actors an opportunity to act at the best of their ability. Besson and Arbogast also nail some signature action sequences. Besson’s ear for dialogue is also complimentary.

Overall, I find this version of Léon: The Professional to be Luc Besson’s most accomplished and emotionally invested film.

THE VIDEO

Léon has seen countless home video releases and re-releases on DVD, a regular edition, an International Cut, a Superbit release (remember those?), and a 2-disc Deluxe Edition. With the Blu-ray format in existence for several years now, it was just a matter of time until another release of Luc Besson’s celebrated creation would find its way onto the market, but this time it’s in high definition; an exciting prospect for any fan of the film.

Léon is presented in 2.35:1/1080p on a 50GB disc and encoded with AVC. The picture is most likely taken from the high definition master created for the Superbit or Deluxe Edition release. The result here is mostly positive. Of course, the first thing viewers will notice is the added amount of detail and definition, plus a sharper image that’s more distinct. The color presentation hasn’t really changed (this means colors generally look very good but not all the time), while skin tones are crisper in high def. Contrast has been improved; higher contrast is noticeable in many of the exterior scenes, and I think they look pretty great (example: rooftop target practice).

On the other hand, interior scenes show varying degrees of quality, some soft, some not. Grain appears occasionally, and the print also has a few instances of specks or spots showing up, but they are hardly noticeable. Also, sometimes there is a flicker effect in the background images. Black levels and dark tones are pretty decent, but not too strong. The overall reaction is Léon looks very nice in 1080p, except in a few places the image doesn’t impress too much, but I don’t want to complain.

THE AUDIO

Léon is presented in a decent 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Surrounds are active frequently, music and dialogue are crisp and clear, equally well reproduced across the front and rear speakers. Dialog scenes are clear and easy to understand. Eric Serra’s haunting score brings a lot of depth, tension, and atmosphere to the room. Sound effects, gunshots and explosions are loud and effective, although there is not as great an *oomph* as one would expect. Overall the sound penetrates the soundfield very nicely; it’s a pretty good presentation.

Both French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD dub tracks are also included. Optional subtitles include English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

THE EXTRAS

You can choose between the Extended version and Theatrical version after you select “Play Movie” from the main menu.

The bonus material is ported over from the 2-Disc Deluxe Edition DVD that was released in early 2005. It is presented here in standard definition (anamorphic) using the MPEG-2 encode, and subtitled in Portuguese and Spanish.

Léon - A Ten Year Retrospective (SD, 25:10): This featurette spends time with several of the actors and crew people from the film who are all living in different cities, including actors Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Maiwenn Le Besco, Michael Badalucco, and Ellen Greene, producer Patrick Ledoux, cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, casting agent Todd Thaler, and costume designer Magali Guidasco. As expected, Luc Besson is not featured, but it is a surprise to find Gary Oldman absent from the material. This retrospective documentary is a decent companion piece to the film with some good information and interesting stories. While it is not too in depth, this retrospective makes for an entertaining watch.

Jean Reno - The Road to Leon (12:25): A new, candid interview with the actor who recalls his early days serving in the French military and acting in films, but also shares some interesting stories pertaining to his famous character Leon. A good watch.

Natalie Portman - Starting Young (13:50): A new interview with the actress about her first movie role; how she got the part, what changes her parents asked of the director, and finally her recollection of the character and film. A brief clip of Portman's audition is shown here as well several photographs. This is also a good watch.

Fact Track: This is available only for the extended version of Léon. The information gleaned here is sometimes quite interesting but also irrelevant at times. There are a few lengthy spots when nothing appears, but overall I enjoyed watching the film with the fact track turned on.

Previews (HD) are featured for the following films: The Da Vinci Code, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009), Angels & Demons, Felon, 12, District 9 and Moon, plus a promo for Sony Blu-ray Disc in High Definition.

This disc also comes equipped with Sony’s bookmark function.

The menu plays about a 2-minute composition of Eric Serra’s memorable score, so let it run for a bit and enjoy. Also, select anything from the menu and you will hear the sound of a silencer gunshot, which is a neat touch.

The extended version of Léon runs approximately 133 minutes, and the theatrical cut clocks in at about 109 minutes (16 chapters).

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you love the film you’re going to upgrade, even if you own all previous DVD releases. You know this. The studio knows this.