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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello star in Leon: The Professional, a go-for-broke thriller about a professional assassin whose work becomes dangerously personal. Calling himself a "cleaner," the mysterious Leon is New York's top hitman. When his next-door neighbors are murdered, Leon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family's sole survivor, 12-year-old Mathilda. But Mathilda doesn't just want protection; she wants revenge. Training her in the deadly tricks of his trade, Leon helps her track the psychotic agent who murdered her family. From the electrifying opening to the fatal finale, Leon: The Professional, is a non-stop crescendo of action, suspense and surprises. Includes 24 minutes of extra footage never before seen in the U.S.
"A unique remarkable film." Gary Franklin, KCOP
"Flying high on explosive action." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
Leon (Jean Reno) is a precise, calculating hit man--a consummate professional, with no family and no friends. However, he has casually befriended Mathilda (Natalie Portman, in an auspicious debut), a 12 year-old neighbor whose entire family, including her adored 4-year-old brother, is wiped out by some crooked DEA agents. The girl pleads with Leon to teach her how to be a "cleaner" and avenge her little brother's death. However, once she learns a few skills, Mathilda saunters into the DEA offices with the sole intention of killing the psychotic agent (Gary Oldman) who actually masterminded the executions. But her intended victim turns the tables on her, and Leon must rescue her. LEON was French director Luc Besson's first film shot in America.
| Features | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese | | Scene Selection | | Interactive Menus | | Digitally Mastered Audio And Anamorphic Video | | Widescreen Presentation | | Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), English DTS |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 9/9/2003 |
| Running Time: 133 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1994 | | Catalog ID: 01536 | | UPC: 00043396015364 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Memorable Quotes| "I like these calm little moments before the storm. It reminds one of Beethoven." ---- Stansfield (Gary Oldman) before he kills a family in a DEA raid. | | "Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid?"----Mathilda (Natalie Portman)|"Always like this."----Léon (Jean Reno) | | "No women, no kids. That's the rules."----Léon, instructing Mathilda on how to "clean" |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...Flying high on explosive action and sly wit, THE PROFESSIONAL gets the job done..." 11/03/1994 p.106Entertainment Weekly
"...Existential..." -- Rating: A - Recommended 09/01/2000 p.63 Chicago Sun-Times
"...It is a well-directed film, because Besson has a natural gift for plunging into drama with a charged-up visual style. And it is well acted..." 11/18/1994 p.31 Uncut
"The action scenes are explosive and skillful, the story genuinely moving." 08/01/2000 p.130 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
Because of the non-American flavor brought to this film by Besson, The Professional is anything but typical fare. It is stylish, darkly humorous, and almost artsy in its approach to the genre. Nevertheless, it delivers what viewers want from any thriller: lots of action. With some surprisingly strong character interaction, there's a lot to like about this movie, at least for those willing to look beyond all the bloodshed. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
Although The Professional bathes in grit and was shot in the scuzziest locations New York has to offer, it's a romantic fantasy, not a realistic crime picture. Besson's visual approach gives it a European look; he finds Paris in Manhattan. That air of slight displacement helps it get away with various improbabilities, as when Matilda teaches Leon to read (in a few days, apparently), or when Leon is able to foresee the movements of his enemies with almost psychic accuracy. - Roger Ebert
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