SYNOPSIS

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

Columbia Tristar presents Léon The Professional in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are well-saturated and bright. This presentation handles the color palette nicely. Some minor print flaws still exist, most notably the occasional grain. Sharpness looks strong, while the image remains crisp and distinct. Black levels appear to be pretty decent, but not excellent. Interior scenes look pretty good, but at times a bit too soft. On the other hand, most of the outdoor scenes look terrific, especially when Leon takes Matilda on a building rooftop for target practice. Detail is also pretty good.

However, when comparing this presentation to the Leon release (Uncut International Version) from 2000 it becomes apparent that they are virtually identical. I can hardly see any improvement on this Superbit edition. Granted, Leon looks pretty good, but it’s not an excellent transfer. Superbit devotes as much disc space as needed to enhance picture quality, a design that in this case appears to be some sort of gimmick.

THE AUDIO

Columbia Tristar presents Léon The Professional in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Being a Superbit release I expected a little more from this presentation. This presentation sounds just about the same as the release from 2000. The only addition to this Superbit release is an English DTS track. Though during inspection its apparent there is hardly any difference between the DTS and DDS soundtracks.

Back to the presentation, dialog scenes are clear and easy to understand. Eric Serra’s haunting score brings a lot of depth, tension, and atmosphere to the room. It penetrates the soundfield very nicely, but lets up on occasion. Sound effects, gunshots and explosions, are loud and effective, although there is not as great an *oomph* as one would expect. This audio transfer is pretty good and the Dolby Digital soundtrack appears to be the same as the one from the 2000 release, which is what makes this Superbit edition a small disappointment.

THE EXTRAS

The only extra on the first disc is a subtitled Fact Track. The information gleaned from it 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.

The second disc presents all-new featurettes that should entertain every fan of the film.

Leon - A Ten Year Retrospective (25:08) gives interview time to several participants from the film, 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 and while it is not too in depth it makes for an entertaining watch.

Jean Reno - The Road to Leon (12:24) features 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 (13:49) features 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.

Rounding out the extras are bonus trailers for the new The Fifth Element DVD, the Monster Special Edition DVD, The Grudge, House of Flying Daggers, and two others.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is the fourth DVD release of Léon, and hopefully the last. While not wholly complete (no isolated music track available on the first release), this Deluxe Edition DVD comes highly recommended. The featurettes are not great, but they're definitely very nice to have.