| | | Flying High on Explosive Action.
Features: Widescreen, English, Subtitled
Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello star in Leon, 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, is a non-stop crescendo of action, suspense and surprises. This uncut version contains 24 minutes of extra footage deemed too explicit for the American audience.  What is UMDTM?
UMD, Universal Media Disc, is a brand-new and groundbreaking optical storage medium, designed for the high speed and efficient delivery of digital entertainment content that can store up to 1.8 GB of digital data on a 60mm disc -- or an entire feature film on a single UMD video. All UMD DVDs are produced in Widescreen and encoded using advanced AVC compression. UMD for PSP will play on the new PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system.
Specifications
Diameter: 60 mmMaximum Capacity: 1.8GB (Single-sided, dual layer)Laser wavelength: 660nm (Red laser)
"Makes Speed look like a slow ride to Grandma's house!" Don Stotter, Entertainment Time-Out Syndication
"One pretty awsome action movie." Hal Hinson, Washington Post
"Top-notch thriller." Ken Hanke, Mountain xpress
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 | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 | | DVD Quality Picture | | Full Length Movie | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Sony Pictures |
| Release Date: 1/1/2037 |
| Original Release Date: 1994 | | Catalog ID: 15107 | | UPC: 00043396151079 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 |
| 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 Young Actress Reviews 9 of 10
If you haven't seen Leon, I envy you. Seeing a movie of this caliber is a real treat, and once you've seen it, your only regret is that you'll never again be able to experience the kind of awe that only a first-time viewing can bring. As Dale put it, "They don't get much better than this."
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
The premise "La Femme Nikita" was that its heroine began as a thoroughly uncivilized character without a decent bone in her body, and then, after society exploited her savagery, she was slowly civilized through the love of a good, simple man. "The Professional" uses similar elements, rearranged. 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. - Roger Ebert
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