Leon: The Professional - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Leon: The Professional

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
There are very few films that are truly PERFECT films (in my eyes). I have 5/5 rated movies in my review repertoire that I think are perfect for their genre (John Wick is one of them), but there are VERY few films that are actually perfect pieces of cinematic art. Leon: The Professional just so happens to be one of them. Director/Writer Luc Besson is known for quite a few films, with movies like The Fifth Element and La Femme Nikita blowing up theaters, but his magnum opus is easily Leon. The film has a cult following, as it personifies a more stable and nuanced Besson, who creates a tour de force action movie that is filled with a fantastic array of limited character studies and relationships that is extremely compelling. Like The Fifth Element, I think I have owned more copies of the film than just about any other. I’ve had the DVD when it was just titled The Professional (e.g., the American theatrical cut), then the superbit DVD, the 2-disc special edition which included the extended international cut (renamed Leon: The Professional, as the international title for the films was just Leon), then came the Blu-ray, and then the 2015 remastered Blu-ray which came out ALSO right along with The Fifth Element and gave us a much-needed kick in the video pants and an Atmos track. This new 4K release is struck from that 4K master, and the results are absolutely SPECTACULAR.

Leon (Jean Reno) is a Cleaner in the seedy underbelly of New York City. E.g., he’s a hitman working for mob boss Tony (Danny Aiello) and easily the best in the business. Everything is down to order, routine, method, and ultimately a code of honor, which has earned him the distinction of being the most feared cleaner in the region. The downside to this profession and his level of commitment is that you’re really not much of a people person at the end of the day. He lives in a rundown apartment in the deep city, and it’s not exactly filled with the best of tenants. He lives down the hall from a young girl named Matilda (Natalie Portman) who always makes an effort to say hi to him, but his awkward persona makes it difficult for the assassin to really relate to her besides the semi-affectionate offering of a handkerchief for a bloody nose etc.

When Matilda’s abusive family is slaughtered by a rogue DEA agent turned drug dealer named Stansfield (Gary Oldman, hamming it up to a level that rivals Peter Stormare), Matilda only has one person to turn to, Leon. Now Matilda isn’t exactly your typical innocent young girl. She’s bene the butt of her family’s crazy, abusive nature for years, and the cynical girl is more than well versed in the ways of pain. However, her younger 4 year old brother was killed as well, and the orphaned girl wants revenge. Begging Leon to teach her how to become a “cleaner”, the young waif forms a relationship with the hitman that is healing for both of them, despite the incredibly odd nature of their interactions. .

The premise behind Leon is rather goofy, but Luc Besson is the king of bizarre, and makes it work masterfully. The idea of Leon teaching Matilda how to become a hitman (or hitgirl I guess) is borderline insane, but what makes the movie work so incredibly well is the fact that they two are a symbiotic pair. Each one needing something from the other to heal in a sort of way. Matilda needs the care and guidance of a father figure, and Leon needs a purpose in his life besides killing. A purpose that allows him to become MORE than the soulless killing machine that he is. The two want companionship, but their path to a center is as rocky s the job they’ve chosen. Matilda is naturally semi attracted to her hero, and the young girl sees that as a romantic feeling, rather than the hero worship that it is (which makes room for some genuinely hilarious moments where Leon is struggling to wrap is head around the mind of a 14 year old girl). The same can be said for Leon as well. He desperately wants the feeling of being “wanted”, and given a purpose in caring for someone. The only thing is, he’s not really the father type. A hitman with limited social skills and a street wise young girl make for strange friends, but Besson makes it work like a well oiled machine.

Ironically, Leon was actually taken from and inspired by Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita where Jean Reno played a similar hitman, and in that way it DOES share some similarities to the former film. The thing is, Besson just used that as a starting point, and makes Leon: The Professional into a work all its own in short order. The plot is kind of ridiculous on the surface (something Besson is known for), but Besson doesn’t just settle for bizarre. He pushes the comfort level just a little bit by training Matilda how to kill, as well as the extended cut inserting a few scenes where Matilda kind of awkwardly misplaces her hero worship in a romantic way. Nothing inappropriate ever happens, but it’s rather disconcerting to watch their relationship grow, even though there is a sense of kindness and innocence to it as well.

Jean Reno is magnificent as the killer, and Portman did an amazing job for a young child actor. The real scene stealer, though, is Gary Oldman. Every time he comes out on set he’s pulling a Peter Stormare, but does it so incredibly well that you can’t help but love the psychopathic cop. There are several standout performances in the side characters, but the three leads just sell the entire thing, and sell it with gusto. Oldman’s performance here is his career best (or at least my FAVORITE) in my humble opinion, and he creates one of the most incredibly loathsome and hilarious characters in all of cinematic history.




Rating:

Rated R for scenes of strong graphic violence, and for language




Video:

The 2015 4K master that Sony struck for the Blu-ray we got a few years back was a STUNNER in 1080p. I was floored by the amount of detail and clarity that was shown over the old Blu-ray we got a decade ago, and was curious to see how this one would turn out. In my review for The Fifth Element I saw what a great 4K remastering of one of Besson’s most popular films could look like, and the Blu-ray for Leon gave me an inkling of what we could expect here. However, I have to say that this is one of THE single best catalog titles I have ever seen on 4K UHD. The uptick in visual details is very apparent to the naked eye, with more details around faces, background objects, and the structure is simply marvelous. The HDR allows the honey colored film to sparkle with all sorts of earthy browns, deep blacks, and even some incredibly vibrant primaries here and there (look at the orange jogging suit when Matilda shoots the runner with her rifle). Blacks are silky and full of inky goodness, and I couldn’t find ANY digital artifacts to the naked eye. Simply put, an incredible looking 4K disc, and pure demo material all the way.








Audio:

The same Dolby Atmos track housed on the 2015 Blu-ray is transferred across, and that is one AMAZING audio mix. I’m usually not a person who likes remixes of tracks and prefer the original mixes, but Atmos has kind of converted me to the dark side as we’ve heard some stunning 5.1/7.1 to Atmos remixes recently. Leon is one of them, and it takes an already amazing audio track and just makes it better. The film is a mix of quiet moments interspersed with incredibly aggressive and powerful LFE, and a wide spacious sound field when the action picks up. My only complaint with the mix is the fact that the overheads aren’t really as engaging as they could be, and there are few moments that even the surrounds feel a bit light in the back. It’s not major, but just enough to make me keep this from a perfect score.






Extras:

• Cast and Crew Look Back
• Jean Reno: The Road to Léon
• Natalie Portman: Starting Young
• Fact Track
• Trailer

Final Score: ​

It’s not out of the realm of possibility to say that Leon: The Professional is ONE of the best action movies ever created. It has Luc Besson’s trademark wry wit and disturbing violence, combined with a sense of heart and compassion that just tugs at the heart strings. Action, drama, intensely disturbing relationships, Leon has it all, and Sony’s 4K UHD brings a stunning video encode and the same fantastic Atmos track that came out a few years back. As someone who is rather cynical about many 4K catalog titles, Leon knocks it out of the park with a great upgrade even over the new remastered Blu-ray (which is once again included in the combo set), but the Atmos track is the same as the 2015 remastered Blu-ray,which in and of itself is NOT a bad thing. It’s a fantastic Atmos track. It’s just that the video encode is the only thing that is really an “upgrade” as the Blu-ray houses all of the old special features on that disc. Still, it’s a must buy in my opinion, as the increase in video quality is quite substantial, and it’s easily the best the film has EVER looked, as well as one of the best looking catalog titles that I’ve ever seen.
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Technical Specifications:

Starring: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman
Directed by: Luc Besson
Written by: Luc Besson
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core)
Studio: Sony
Rated: R
Runtime: 110 Minutes (Theatrical) / 133 Minutes (Extended)
Blu-ray Release Date: July 11th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Must Buy

 

[Jon Liu]

I really hesitate mentioning this, but I have never seen Leon: The Professional...

I hear talks about it, just never have I gotten around to watching it. Very strange considering how widely acclaimed it is.

 

[Michael Scott]

say 10 hail mary's and lash yourself on the back 10 times, then go pick up the movie

 

[Mark C Flick]

I'd agree that John Wick and Leon: The Professional are 5 star films.
John Wick is one of my most favorite recent films, wish I could say the same for John Wick 2.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Not sold on Amazon?

 

[Michael Scott]

It's a Best Buy exclusive till about the end of the year

 

[Asere]

I can't believe I've never seen this movie. I think I remember watching a few scenes here and there when it first aired on tv but never in its entirety. I may have to buy this one soon.

 

[Jon Liu]

Thank goodness I'm not the only one, Asere!! lol one of the biggest cinematic staples and I've missed seeing it.

I may pick it up this week...

 

[Todd Anderson]

I haven't seen it either. Mike, don't cut us out of the Will!

Am I the only one that enjoyed John Wick 2?

 

[Asere]

I think JW 3 is going to be insanely better based on how JW 2 ended.

I haven't seen it either. Mike, don't cut us out of the Will!

Am I the only one that enjoyed John Wick 2?

I enjoyed it as much as the first one.

 

[Michael Scott]

John Wick 2 was just a hair below the original, but a great action flick.

 

[Mark C Flick]

I gotta say I was a bit disappointed with John Wick 2. I enjoyed it but was expecting, I dunno, something better than the first one.

 

[Lesmor]

Loving the reviews Michael so I am now sold on "Leon the professional"
Like many I don't think I have seen this film all the way through
The film has to justify the cost of buying a UHD disc and this seems to fit the bill

I have also got rid of both my copies of "The Fifth Element" in anticipation of the UHD version
Already have "John Wick" on HD Blu-ray I have added "John Wick 2" to my UHD shortlist

 

[Todd Anderson]

I gotta say I was a bit disappointed with John Wick 2. I enjoyed it but was expecting, I dunno, something better than the first one.

He takes out 3 guys with a pencil!

 

[Jon Liu]

I actually liked JW2 better than the first. That pencil scene, along with practically every other action sequence in the film were just a cut above the first I thought.

 

[Jack]

Ok you forced my hand, I have to pull Leon out and watch it again tonight, I have not seen it in a couple years.

As for JW2, naw, wont ever watch that again....not the worst film i have ever seen, that place is held by Freddy Got Fingered, but no where near what JW1 was, imo of course

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Don't scream at me, but I thought it was just an okay movie... nothing that great really. Perhaps I am not one to "know how" to appreciate good writing and acting, so it may not mean as much to me as some others. Personally, I thought the young girl was out of place and they really shouldn't have use such a young girl for the part. Granted, I realize it probably wouldn't have been the same movie without her, but I would have surely never let my daughter of that age play that part... and she wouldn't have even got to see the movie at that age. Call me Mr. Scrooge, but it was just a bit off with me because of that. Otherwise, it was just okay.

 

[JBrax]

I haven't seen it either. Mike, don't cut us out of the Will!

Am I the only one that enjoyed John Wick 2?

Nope, I thought it was great!

 

[Jack]

I cant find it, I must have loaned it out.....dag nab it !!!

 

[JBrax]

I cant find it, I must have loaned it out.....dag nab it !!!

I've had to stop doing that because nobody ever returns them. I think my oldest daughter has about ten of my movies.

 

[Michael Scott]

me too. only my mother borrows my movies, and she's one of those people that will treat it like a baby and replace it if there's even a scratch on it... other than that... doesn't get loaned out anymore

 

[JBrax]

me too. only my mother borrows my movies, and she's one of those people that will treat it like a baby and replace it if there's even a scratch on it... other than that... doesn't get loaned out anymore

They just don't make 'em like they use to! My wife is pretty much the only one like that. The others who would be respectful don't care about my movie collection.

 

[Michael Scott]

yup, she's a 75 year old sweetheart. other than that I'm SUPER leery of lending as so many people will trash you stuff

 

[Asere]

I just bought Leo from BB. Waiting for it to ship to watch for the first time.

 

[JBrax]

Ya know I think I've seen this but I'm not sure? I might have to see if I can find a clip or two to jog my memory.