This 1994 intelligent action movie kind of snuck up on me, but it is very well done, because of the script, the great directing by Luc Besson, and because of the excellent acting by Jean Reno, Natalie Portman (11 years old at the time), and Gary Oldman. The story is, of course, about a 12-year old girl Mathilda (Portman) whose family is killed by a rogue DEA agent (Oldman) and who is subsequently taken in by a Mafia hitman Leon (Reno). Mathilda convinces (manipulates?) Leon to train her as a 'cleaner,' and the rest of the story is about their short time together while she learns and he does his work.

Be aware that there are at least two versions of this movie floating around. You should try to get the 133 minute US Deluxe Edition DVD released by Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment in 2005 (also known as the international version) or the US Blu-Ray version, as those versions include the extra scenes that help fill out the story and a few special features including interviews of Jean Reno and Natalie Portman.

The Deluxe Edition's additional 25 minutes of film is found in the film's second act, and it shows more of the personal relationship and interactions between Léon and Mathilda. The extra scenes also show Mathilda when she accompanies Léon on several of his hits and how those trips help train her as a contract killer.

I’ve always really liked this film and the 4k version looks reasonably good (though I never owned a 1080p blu ray version that I could compare it with). There seems to be a reasonable compromise between keeping the sharpness without excessive noise reduction or enhancing the film grain. From my cursory viewing, I think the black levels were enhanced by the HDR, so it should be an improvement. I say this because, on watching old standard BDs, it seems like they generally make greater compromises with regard to dynamic range. With HDR on 4k discs, it seems like one gets the benefits of the very bright dynamic setting on older HDTVs without most of the compromises. Everything looks a bit more brilliant, except where it shouldn’t (primarily in very dark parts of a composition, which are generally rendered with greater fidelity than on older equipment).
Natalie Portman is an orphaned waif (in a very early role). Jean Reno is a gentle, soft spoken (but very effective) contract killer. Both are very good but in different ways. Gary Oldman is crazy & menacing as the corrupt DEA Agent, bad guy. It 's a good action film that still pulls at your heartstrings. Early work of Fifth Element director, Luc Besson.

Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl, is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
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Ok that’s the movie review awesome love it here’s the product review the product is Leon the professional extended edition and theatrical edition Blu-ray United States edition. I love it when you get a Blu-ray home and it has a surprise waiting for you a.k.a. digital copy of the movie that was supposed to be expired but still works I love it I love it I love it.!!! I totally recommend this movie and this product if anybody’s looking for the digital copy of this movie here’s where to get it.! The digital copy for this version is still good the expiration date is not what it says it is. Thank you sincerely Jason Triplett

One of my all time favorite movies, the extended version makes this movie even MORE enjoyable. It also fills in a few of the blanks that I always wondered about, especially the relationship between Leon and Mathilda. The extended version takes over where the theatrical version leaves off and helps to define and articulate that relationship in ways I had only guessed at. At such a young age, Natalie Portman's acting was simply amazing, as was Jean Reno's. Of course, Reno is a highly acclaimed actor giving a performance that one would expect from him. But Portman? I never would have guessed that at 13-years old, she was such a great actress. Simply astounding.

Gary Oldman is another GREAT actor that turned in a truly mesmerizing performance as the drug-crazed DEA agent without a conscience. I've seen him in quite a few movies; JFK, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Immortal Beloved, The Fifth Element, etc., and each one of his performances leaves me breathless at his acting ability. Together and taken as a whole, the cast, the script, the setting, the 'Professional' manner in which this movie was filmed and carried out makes it one of the most entertaining, exciting, dramatic and heartbreaking movies I've ever seen.

If you haven't seen this movie, you owe it to yourself to purchase and watch it. It WILL leave you breathless. HIGHLY recommended!

Glad I got around watching one of Luc Besson's finest films. Years ago I made the mistake of buying the American edited version of this film titled The Professional which is a heavy edited version which ruins the story by taking a lot of scenes out of Luc's film. Make sure to get Leon The Professional to enjoy this early 90s crime, action film.

Plot follows Leon an Italian hitman who calls himself a "Cleaner" talking out clients and keeping all his money at Tony's restaurant who handles the jobs for him. One day when returning from a job Leon meets Mathilda an young girl who lives next door to him in the apartment which life isn't easy for her with abusive parents and a mean half sister. Only member of Mathilda's family she cares for is 4 year old brother. Her father owns a crooked and heavily drug addict DEA cop Norman Stansfield cut of cocaine which he's hiding from.

When Norman returns the next day to pick it up he kills every member of Mathilda's family and one of Norman's crew kills Mathilda's little brother. Leon saves Mathilda by hiding out in his apartment and wants revenge for the death of little brother. Leon then begins training her into becoming a Cleaner while moving from apartment to another to avoid the heat. After being wounded during a job Mathilda begins helping out Leon with his hits then go after the drug dealer who sold the cocaine to her father. Norman who lost one of his crew during a hit storms into Tony's restaurant and is dying to meet Leon.

Luc's fine writing into a very well crafted story with very detailed characters, lovely scenery shots of early 90s of New York City and a nice added touch of action and some dark humor.

This is the best hitman movie I've ever seen. Jean Reno plays such a complex character in Leon that it's so hard not to root for him even though he's a contract killer. He has that thing, which is inevitably what attracts Natalie Portman's character. She only knows what she sees from the world, and tries to imprint herself on Leon the only way she knows how. But Reno plays Leon not as a typical big ego, dominant male or even creepy guy. He's just Leon, and you can tell that he cares about her in a way that's completely devoid of romance (some would argue that that's not true), and that's what makes this film so good.

It's a timeless classic that I found myself enjoying like it was the first time, especially seeing Gary Oldman's villainous turn as a corrupt detective working the case of Mathilda's (Portman) family's deaths. As Leon and the detective circle, Mathilda's relationship with him deepens and ends with the ultimate payoff. A beautiful film undeserving of the criticisms I'm sure it has received due to its subject matter. However, all of the actors are so phenomenal and Luc Besson made a name for himself on this one. A film with all new life on 4K and looks as beautiful as ever, and crazy seeing Natalie Portman so young.

The Professional is about a hitman named Leon (Jean Reno) who finds himself in an uncomfortable situation having to raise a pre-teen girl Mathilda (Natali Portman). Leon ends up taking her in after her family is massacred by a crooked DEA agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman).

The combination of Leon and Mathilda make for one of the classic old couple stories in cinema. They have plenty of fun with it as well. For instance, like when Mathilda tells their apartment manager that she’s Leon’s lover. There are also crazy points like when Leo shows Mathilda how to use a sniper rifle because she wants to get revenge for the murder of her family. There are some iconic images created in these scenes such as when Mathilda asks Leo to let her into his apartment after her family is killed. She’s begging him and crying in a very emotional moment.

Oldman also has one of his best roles. He plays the DEA agent as a loon. For instance he guns down Mathilda’s family and then talks about his love of classical music. It makes Stansfield a really scary character.

Portman also brought emotion to her character and showed Mathilda to be a tortured soul. She was abused by her family and then goes through the trauma of losing them.

Of course there’s plenty of action as well and the ending is fantastic.

It’s really a standout movie.
C

It was a great shootem up! I always like Jean Reno in movies he always plays in character very well, a great somewhat overlooked talent !! Natalie Portman has always been an impressive actress and as I understand this was her first film she took on a large roll and pulled it off for such a young actress, I still cant believe the depth of maturity she displayed her parents did a great job raising such a stable controlled young lady Kudo's to them I have 3 daughters and I am not sure I would have let them play in this if they were actresses at her age due to some of the subject matter!! But she pulled it off and has gone on to stardom and motherhood herself !