Léon: The Professional is a masterpiece of work from Luc Besson and is easily my favorite and most emotion-filled film to date. The performances by Jean Reno (who deserved an Oscar nomination), Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman were all fantastic in their own distinctive ways.
Leon: The Professional
(1994)
Genre(s): Action, Drama, Crime
Sony Pictures | R – 109 min. / 133 min. – $30.99 | July 11, 2017
Date Published: 07/05/2017 | Author: The Movieman
|
|
|||||||||||
Note: Portions were copied over from my 2015 Blu-ray review with updates for the 4K format.
THE MOVIE — 4.5/5 |
|
Plot Synopsis: The mysterious Léon (JEAN RENO) is New York’s top hitman. When his next-door neighbors are murdered, Léon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family’s sole survivor – 12-year-old Mathilda (NATHALIE PORTMAN). But Mathilda doesn’t just want protection; she wants revenge. The two are up against a rogue DEA agent (GARY OLDMAN) intent on killing Mathilda out of his own, disturbed, style of vengeance. Quick Hit Review: Léon: The Professional is easily my favorite Luc Besson film, a mixture of a superbly written screenplay, well-rounded characters who are naturally fleshed out and aren’t caracatures and three excellent performances from Reno, Portman and Oldman with the latter chewing up scenary like no other and I loved every bit of it; heck, back then I’d support a spin-off starring that character… Beyond that, it’s just a touching, heartfelt flick that delves beyond its action-centric genre. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5 |
|
This release comes with a semi-glossy slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. 10 Year Retrospective: Cast and Crew Look Back (25:10) – Filmed in 2004, members of the cast (Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, et al) and crew (Producer Patrice Ledoux, DP Thierry Arbogast, et al) talk in individual interviews about the project and its characters. Jean Reno: The Road to Léon (12:25) – This featurette examines the complexities of the main character and his relationship with Mathilda. It also gives a background on Reno. Natalie Portman: Starting Young (13:49) – Here we look at Portman and her career starting at an early age. Also included are a Fact Track that runs with the extended version and the Theatrical Trailer (2:25; HD). |
VIDEO – 5.0/5 |
| It was less than two years ago Sony released The Professional onto Blu-ray “remastered in 4K” but now that actual 4K has taken off a bit, they have now officially released it in the format, presented with a 2160p UHD and in its original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio. Although this doesn’t have the visual flair, in terms of color anyway, compared to The Fifth Element, this movie still looks fantastic in 4K showing off natural skin tones and excellent detail levels yet maintaining normal film grain. |
AUDIO – 4.75/5 |
| The movie receives a Dolby Atmos track for excellent dialogue levels but the most impressive is with the various action scenes from the various gunfire to the explosion in the climax. They reverberate through each channel with fluidity without being overpowering while the LFE channel kicks in to add that extra boost. |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
|
Overall, Léon: The Professional is a masterpiece of work from Luc Besson and is easily my favorite and most emotion-filled film to date. The performances by Jean Reno (who deserved an Oscar nomination), Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman were all fantastic in their own distinctive ways and it’s just an all around well made flick with good mixture of drama and suspense. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.