Léon

English Title:	The Professional / Léon: The Professional
Year:	1994
Country:	France
Language:	English
Genre:	Thriller, Crime
IMDB:	IMDB Page
Rating:	8.9 Rate
Collection:	Seen It Wishlist
Community:	23 Have Seen


Director	Luc Besson
Selected Cast	Jean Reno as Léon
	Gary Oldman as Stansfield
	Natalie Portman as Mathilda
	Danny Aiello as Tony
Producer	Patrice Ledoux
Writer	Luc Besson
Soundtrack	Éric Serra

On DVD & Blu-ray World

DVD

Leon - Touchstone - Europe

Blu-ray

Leon - Studiocanal - UK (2019)

DVD

Leon - Buena Vista - Spain (2003)

DVD

Leon - A Plus Films - Bulgaria (2011)

DVD

Leon - Gaumont - France

VHS

Leon - Touchstone - Sweden

DVD

Léon The Professional: Uncut International Version - Columbia TriStar - USA (2000)

DVD

Leon: The Professional - Madman - Australia (2010)

Images

Comments and Reviews


HelBic 12th Oct 2020		Great review @MagicMarmalade, I have the original DVD of the movie and have never seen the director's cut - and will definitely give it a miss as the original was definitely a masterpiece.



Magic Marmalade 28th Sep 2020		Rated 10/10 A Nineties masterpiece, later ruined by a "Director's Cut". Now I understand why this has not been getting any shows on terrestrial TV... ...Having come across the "Director's Cut" DVD that I had been so determined to avoid, for fear of ruining the experience of the original theatrical (US and elsewhere) version I was familiar with, I finally decided to bite the bullet, and see what was up with it... ...And it only served to confirm my worst fears. Leon, the story of a ruthless, yet lonely hitman with a very childish naivety, who crosses paths with an intelligent, yet overly precocious 12 year old girl, Mathilda, when her crappy family are killed by a truly terrifying, corrupt, psychotic DEA agent and his crew... (Gary Oldman in his scariest ever role (makes Dracula look like a swell guy!)) ...Leon takes her in, and a friendship begins to develop between them. Already, you can see the problematic nature of this arrangement, in that it gets you shifting uncomfortably in your seat, but that's OK, it's supposed to, as it plays on the audience's natural scepticism and cynicism in order to undermine it, as this, at it's heart, is really is a story about the recovery, and preservation of innocence in a corrupt and horrific world... both Leon and Mathilda finding in each other, the companionship that would provide this, all the while trying to evade Oldman's nutcase, hunting Mathilda in order to tie up the loose ends of his dodgy dealings... ...In the end, a kind of redemption is sought by both, and you find yourself sitting a little easier in your chair.... ...Until, that is, you see this "Director's Cut", which adds quarter of an hour or so of footage which completely torpedoes this fragile knife edge innocence, as Mathilda accompanies Leon on a few "hits" in order to learn how to become a "cleaner" like him, and the nature of their relationship goes a little too far the wrong way because of a couple of, admittedly dramatic scenes between them, and the Innocent nature of these characters is shattered from that moment on...effectively yanking the heart out of the movie, and making you feel grubby watching it. The other thing is, that by adding those extra minutes right in the middle of things, it's a while before you see Gary Oldman again, and his large, looming presence begins to slip from your mind, so his character is less menacing through having his impact diluted... and as for the ever brilliant Danny Aiello, his character is all but pushed out to the edges through this. In this day and age, This Director's Cut would never make it on to the TV, and rightly so. You are better off getting a masterpiece of cinema in the shape of the original theatrical cut on DVD, and chucking the tainted "Director's Cut" in the bin. Sometimes the Director himself does not know best. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?



zabadak 15th Jun 2016		Film debut of Natalie Portman :happy:

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See Also

Vinyl Album

Eric Serra - Léon: The Professional - Waxwork - USA (2016)

Soundtrack LP

Tags: Neo Noir

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