Customer Reviews

the Professional (Widescreen Edition) [VHS]

5 star:		(202)
4 star:		(47)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I own both the US and international versions of this film, and the international edition is much better. Both versions carry a slight sexual tension throughout between Leon and Matilda, and the uncut version is more pronounced in this area, but that isn't the reason to buy it.

The extra 24 minutes on the uncut version provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between the two as the film progresses. For example, in the US version Matilda never becomes a real "cleaner" or hitman. It's only hinted at when they shoot a jogger from a rooftop with blanks. In the uncut version, Leon takes her completely under his wing and teaches her the trade, including scenes where the pair run around killing bad guys and such. In the process, Leon teaches her the "ring trick" by tossing a grenade at a victim and keeping the ring and grenade pin in his hand. This scene sets up the final scenes in the movie in a way that the US version left short and unexplained.

If you enjoyed the US version, you'll probably love the uncut version more, if only because the characters and their relationships are much deeper.

French director Luc Besson ("The Messenger"; "The Fifth Element") made his U.S. film debut with this intelligent thriller of an Italian hitman who is untouchable. "The Professional" stars Jean Reno ("The Big Blue") who plays Leon, a professional hitman with ninja-like skills, who eliminates rivals for a mob boss (Danny Aiello).

After a corrupt cop (Gary Oldman) eliminates the family residing next door due to a drug transaction gone wrong, Leon finds himself the guardian of young Mathilda (Natalie Portman in her screen debut). Taking Mathilda under his helm, Leon teaches her the art of the "cleaner". However, danger lurks around every corner, and Leon must protect Mathilda from the same cops who killed her family.

Considered by many to be his masterpiece, "The Professional" was originally released internationally under the title "Leon". However due to the feeling that American audiences might find some material unacceptable, over 24 minutes of the film was edited out. Finally, Columbia/Tri-Star has made an excellent decision in releasing the uncut, international version of this excellent film in the U.S. as it originally was called in August 2000.

While the film's central theme revolves around Leon and his job, the subplot where Mathilda develops an attraction for Leon is reminiscent of the novel/film "Lolita". The chemistry between both characters in a father/daughter relationship can be intense, especially as we notice that Mathilda is in her puberty-stage.

Jean Reno is excellent as always, and Gary Oldman gives a chilling performance as Stansfield, the wicked DEA officer who murdered Mathilda's family in cold blood. However, the real scene-stealer in this film has to be Natalie Portman. This beautiful young girl radiates beauty and professionalism throughout the film. Her porcelain-looking skin, and her big brown eyes are well utilized in this film, making her character more childish, yet mature to a certain extent. Portman proved to audiences in this film that she was no flash in the pan, and in her subsequent films, she continues to be a scene-stealer. She is truly Hollywood's most gifted young actress.

In the international version, most of the 24 minutes that were left out in the film's 1994 release in the U.S. mainly involves both Leon and Mathilda going on "cleaning sweeps" where she gets first hand training in the art of assassination. The other half of these minutes focuses on Mathilda's attraction to Leon. Her persistent attempts to be intimate with Leon all fail, but we finally understand why Leon remains a loner when it comes to affairs if the heart. Some might be uncomfortable about the idea of Mathilda and Leon sharing a bed together, but Besson paints this scene as one involving platonic love and not sex.

In wrapping up, I recommend this film for anyone who enjoys a nonstop, high-impact thriller in the same tradition as the "Matrix," "Blade," or "Dead Calm". Luc Besson truly is one of the world's greatest action directors, and "Leon" captures his magic. An excellent, pulstaing film from beginning to end!

This was the first film that I saw by Luc Besson. Despite the US title, it is and will always be Leon.

The opening scenes literally set the scene, with pace, timing, colour, viewpoint - everything a director should know Besson knows and gives to us here. I'm watching the DVD as I write.

Jean Reno is superb as Leon, the utilmate human killing machine. Death on two legs, he'll kill anything but women and children. And they're just what is missing in his life - women and children.

When Mathilda, played so abley by Nathalie Portman, is orphaned by Stansfield (Gary Oldman) and his men, Leon is drawn into an unlikely relationship. Whilst demanding revenge for her younger brother Mathilda becomes the woman and child that Leon's life has lacked.

Besson plays close to the edge with Leon and Mathilda, but he doesn't cross the line. This is not in the mold of Lolita, there's no paedophile subtext. It's a man discovering the family he never knew that he needed.

Visually s! uperb, and with a soundtrack by Eric Serra, this is one of my favourite films. I have it in pan and scan VHS, wide screen VHS, and DVD. How much more endorsement can I give it.

Just watch it! END

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!

I've watched this DVD several times now, and it just keeps coming back for more. This is the story of a young girl ("Mathilde", Natalie Portman) who seeks refuge with a neighbor who happens to be a hitman ("León", Jean Reno) after she comes back to find her family has been massacred by a cadre of corrupt DEA agents.

Fueled by revenge, Mathilde somehow convinces the naíve italian immigrant León to teach her the fine art of murder-for-hire in exchange for taking care of his home and reading lessons. As time passes, the two grow close and eventually must confront Mathillde's nemesis together.

Gary Oldman is absolutely terrifying as the smacked-up ring leader. His performance alone is worth buying the movie for. Oldman is so into this character that he really does send chills down your spine in a few key scenes. In fact, I don't believe the VHS version of the movie would do him justice -- you need the clarity of the DVD to truly see the madness emanate from his eyes in the closeups.

Natalie Portman (yes, the Princess from Phantom Menace) also delivers a fantastic performance, at what appears to be the age of 13. The scene near the start where she begs León to open the door is extremely moving. She's very believable throughout. Jean Reno also is solid, although the fact that he is so overtly French made it hard to believe that he was supposed to be fresh off the boat from Italy.

The video and sound quality are great, but the movie itself is even greater! Although this could be classified as an action movie, it's really best described as a drama with some intense action sequences, since the non-action portions are just as satisfying.

I had the fortune of watching this movie when I was living abroad in its entirety and I have to say the extra 20 minutes of footage really contributes to the intense plot.

Yes there were some suggestions of pedophilia, but in reality if you look closer at the relationship, it wasn't so much in a sexual sense as it was on an emotional level...and you really need to watch the added scenes a few times to really understand that. The new scenes really add a whole new level of depth to the movie that was sorely lacking in the US version. In fact the added scenes almost help you make better sense of all the characters and really understand just the scope of their relationship with each other. I almost felt I watched a whole new film and I am really glad to see that it finally made it to these shores.

Luc Besson has had his share of misses (see the Messenger as a great example), but this, along with La Femme Nikita, are really excellent films that have an enormous amount of tension and substance. Don't miss out on this flick!

I caught this film on cable the other night and decided to watch it because it featured a terrific cast. How can one resist a movie featuring sexy Frenchman Jean Reno, the beautiful Natalie Portman in one of her earliest roles, Gary Oldman, and Danny Aiello?

The film centers around the relationship that develops between a beautiful and precocious twelve year old girl, Mathilda (Natalie Portman), and an Italian hit man named Leon (Jean Reno). Mathilda and her family live in the same run down building as Leon and are, in fact, neighbors.

It seems that Mathilda's dad (Michael Badalucco) has run into a problem with rogue Federal Drug Enforcement Agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman) over some missing cocaine. When Stansfield and his crew gets into a shootout with dear old Dad in the family apartment, wiping out her family, Mathilda alone survives. When Stansfield realizes, however, that there were three children in the family and only two are accounted for among the dead, he knows that he has to hunt her down before she denounces him for what he is, a cold blooded, killer cop.

Mathilda turns to Leon for help in her rather precarious situation. Of the two, Leon and Mathilda, it is hard to decide who is the more innocent. Leon gets his hit contracts through an intermediary, a wise guy named Tony (Danny Aiello). Tony always assures Leon that he is holding all his earnings for him, as Leon cannot read and write. Leon is your quintessential killer with a heart of gold. Mathilda, on the other hand, though still a child, is a pretty wily little miss with nerves of steel. It would be difficult to pull the wool over her eyes. Together, however, Leon and Mathilda go on a voyage of discovery, as each finds in the other something that captures the heart.

Notwithstanding this, the film is very much an action film. It is a rip roaring journey, as Leon and Mathilda try to evade Stansfield, the killer cop with no heart and a drug habit that would kill off lesser humans. Some of the situations are absolutely ingenious and a total trip. There is enough action in this film to satisfy even the most jaded of thrill seekers. Luc Besson, the director, has turned out a top notch, first class thriller.

Natalie Portman is luminous as Mathilda, a kid from the school of hard knocks. Her beauty, as well as her acting talent, is evident even at this early stage of her development, and there are a few almost uncomfortable Lolita-like moments in the film. There is even a scene somewhat reminiscent of the rose petal scene in the film "American Beauty", sans the rose petals.

Oldman is positively chilling with his almost over the top, edgy, manic performance. Danny Aiello is terrific as Tony, the smooth talking mob guy whom the viewer knows is taking advantage of Leon's simplicity and trust, enriching himself in the process.

Jean Reno, however, will melt your heart, becoming an almost mythic, romantic hero. I have to wonder why this amazing, sexy actor never made it really big in the United States. He is sensational as the killer with a heart. He also has some high voltage action scenes in this highly stylized film that will take your breath away.

An uncut international version of this film with an additional twenty four minutes of footage has recently been released on DVD. It is listed on my Amazon wish list where I hope my children will find it and take a hint. It is definitely a film worth adding to one's personal collection. Bravo!

I had always liked "the professional", though I thought that the american vesion was a little hollow with a disturbing underlying quality to it. After seeing the international version, I can hardly see Columbia Pictures' justification for dumbing it down for american audiences (I can understand it, but it was a very unnecessary tampering). While the american cut is "ok", the full cut is just excellent. The extra 24 minutes does quite a lot for the development of the characters and their relationship. Definitely a must-see.

I'll explain the title after I review the movie...

Leon: The Professional is by far the superior of the two versions available. I bought the VHS a few years back without ever even hearing about the film, and loved it. It will remain apart of my VHS collection forever. Now as for the uncut international version:

1. The added scenes make the film much more enjoyable to watch. It gives the story a plot; I'm not saying the VHS version doesn't have a plot, but that it answers questions that you may not have even had. Two thumbs up, and why wasn't this version also released in the United States? Hmmmmmmmm.

2. It's a whole different movie than from the version you've seen before.

5 out of 5. Two thumbs up. What more can you ask for?

Leon vs. Luca. Another great and eccentric hitman is Luca from The Godfather. I'm not saying that Leon is the same kind of movie as The Godfather, but rather that the characters are very much alike. If you've seen The godfather movies you may or may not recognize the simularities, but if you'd read the book then you've realized that the characters are very comparable. They both have very odd or eccentric characteristics. Leon only drinks milk, sleeps sitting up, lives well below his means, and his only friend is a plant. Luca has no friends and also lives well below his means...actually they have a lot more in common of which I realize I shouldn't be giving away because I don't want to ruin the movie for those who have not seen it.

Hey, I've always wished that they put more of Luca in The Godfather, but that movie was about the Corleones. This is not. It is only about a hitman. How can someone kill for a living? What kind of an individual would do this? What kind of a father would a hitman make? Do they even have feelings? This movie answers these questions without being overly violent, and adding an interesting plot. In conclusion, buy this movie you won't be disapointed.

A fan of the original U.S. release, I made The Professional one of only a very few videos I actually chose to own rather than simply rent. I still have that U.S. widescreen VHS. And now I just picked up the long-awaited U.S. DVD debut of Leon: The Professional.

The quality of the transfer is among the best seen on DVD. The sound is also of exceptional caliber. Even more impressive is the fact that one can optionally isolate the excellent soundtrack for listening sans dialogue and other audio effects.

And then we have the extra 24 minutes. I do not doubt that it was wise to excise most of these scenes from theatrical release (especially the Russian roulette bit) in the U.S. market. The movie works well enough without them. But these extra scenes--intended for viewing by at least nominally sophisticated adults--are mostly powerful, intriguing, and add much to what is in essence a character study/love story. And you see both main leads--Reno and Portman--commit to their best acting only in these scenes!

A real gem. Note that the extra 24 minutes occurs fairly "cleanly" in two sections, which I can highlight (email) by timeframe on the DVD for those who have not seen the original U.S. version.