| | | From the Director of The Fifth Element.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, English, Spanish, Subtitled, French, Dubbed & 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.
"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 | Spanish Subtitles | | Theatrical Trailer | | Portuguese Subtitles | | Production Notes | | Scene Access | | Interactive Menus | | Isolated Film Score | | Photo Gallery | | French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround | | French Dolby Digital Surround | | French Subtitles | | English Dolby Digital Surround | | English Subtitles | | Enhanced For 16X9 TV | | Cast & Crew Bios | | Director's Cut Includes An Additional 24 Minutes Of Footage | | English 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 9/7/2000 |
| Running Time: 133 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1994 | | Catalog ID: 06196 | | UPC: 00043396061965 | | 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 |
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  5 | | Plot | 5 | | Acting | 5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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5 of 5 Nat & Jean Rock! Friday, February 10, 2006
A Viewer from Long Island, New York
This is the best acting performance by a pre-teen (she was 11 when filming started), or any teenager in the history of cinema!
Natalie Portman was truely awesome (a child prodigy).
Enough said. Was this review helpful?  
5 of 5 Amazing Tuesday, July 30, 2002
D.A. Stanton from NYC / 30 July 02
It's true, The Professional is an incredible film. Not the standard Hollywood version of violence. It's more stylized and dramatic.
Easily Jean Reno's best performance and film. The same should be said for Natalie Portman, who has since not equaled what she accomplished here. This may also be the best i've seen of Gary Oldman, who is the "villain" (not Danny Aiello, as was written above) - although i loved his "Drexel" in True Romance.
This was Natalie's first acting role, and, immediately, her intelligence, talent and extraordinary beauty are demonstrated.
Amazing, also, to note that the film was not only directed by Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Fifth Element, Joan of Arc), but also written by him.
Great story, great direction. Excellent cinematography and acting.
[Get the Special Edition for the Bonus materials.] Was this review helpful?
5 of 5 Its the greatest movie i have ever seen Wednesday, May 15, 2002
Mr. Fahad Al-Absi from Abu Dhabi
This movie have it all the good action sequence the plot the drama the love story and combined into a beautiful blend of scenes that really moves you, I can't have enough of this movie Jean Reno out did him self and Natalie Portman should have won an Oscar, Danny Aiello is the greatest villain character ever.
Over all it’s a must have movie but only for adults, for the violence might be disturbing for some people and improper for people under 18.
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