Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Léon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 15, 2009

A shy contract-killer meets a feisty young girl in Gallic director Luc Besson’s classic "Léon" (1994). The two form an unusual bond and go on to teach each other invaluable lessons about real life. The film arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont. The disc herein reviewed contains the theatrical (100 min) and international (133 min) versions of the film. There are no imposed French subtitles when the English audio track is selected. Region-Free.

Jean Reno as Léon

Little Italy, New York City. An illiterate contract killer (Jean Reno, La Femme Nikita) is asked to do a job. He agrees and heads to the target’s (Frank Senger, Bullet) hotel. When the target arrives, the killer eliminates his guards and hands him a piece of paper with a phone number on it. The target dials the number and then listens to someone talking on the other end of the line. A few minutes later, he announce that this would be his last visit to New York City.

Later on. The contract killer befriends a 12-year old girl (Natalie Portman, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace ). She runs into him trying to escape a merciless DEA cop (Gary Oldman, Romeo Is Bleeding), who has killed every single member of her family. The contract killer isn’t particularly interested in the girl but she manages to get under his skin. He lets her stays with him. A few days later, the girl asks her new friend to teach her how to “clean”.

Even though Leon is hardly a controversial film, its history with American censors implies otherwise. The close relationship between a shy but incredibly skillful contract killer and a naïve but feisty 12-year old girl apparently rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. So, it took a while for American film aficionados to see Leon as Luc Besson envisioned it.

When the film’s complete 133 minute version finally became available on this side of the Atlantic, I could not figure out why the American censors felt so uncomfortable with its tone. Léon wasn’t explicit and it most certainly wasn’t suggestive of a behavior that could have raised a red flag amongst conservative viewers. Yet, something apparently bothered the moralistic watchdogs.

The complete version of Léon tells a story about a lonely man and a lonely girl meeting under some unusual circumstances. It is flashy and packed with adrenalin but also tender and beautiful. Unsurprisingly, by the time the end credits roll, we feel that the two were meant for each other.

Léon also impresses with its unique sense of humor. Jean Reno’s "cleaning” lessons are filled with spectacular lines that effectively counter most of the film’s gritty action. Additionally, his endless facial expressions are absolutely hilarious. Young Natalie Portman is a worthy match for the French actor. She brings to the screen the complex emotions her character struggles with notably well. Gary Oldman, who plays the psychopathic DEA cop, is also unforgettable. Each time he appears on screen Léon completely loses its sweetness and immediately becomes a gritty, dirty and subversive piece of cinema. Logically, when he finally confronts the contract killer and his friend, fireworks are everywhere.

Cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, who has contributed to a number of terrific French films - including Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s The Horseman on the Roof (1995), Patrice Leconte’s Ridicule (1996), and Gilles Mimouni’s The Apartment (1996) – is one of the key reasons why Leon dazzles with its deceptive simplicity. Long-time Besson collaborator Eric Serra’s (The Big Blue) soundtrack is also unforgettable.

Léon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luc Besson's Léon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont.

I don't see any drastic differences between the German Blu-ray release of Léon, courtesy of Kinowelt, and this new French release. While viewing the film, I noticed the same minor specs and dots that I saw popping up on the German release, which we reviewed awhile ago. In fact, as far as I am concerned, these two releases are practically identical.

This being said, the color-scheme is solid – yellows, blues, reds, and blacks are all natural looking and strong. I looked carefully to see whether some of the indoor scenes might reveal stronger (or weaker) color saturation but, to my eyes, the colors looked the same. I did not detect any overly disturbing DNR manipulating either. If anything, there is a bit of digital noise that is easy to detect, mostly during the second half of the film, but I would not say that it is something that would detract from your viewing experience. I also noticed a bit of mild edge-enhancement popping up here and there. The contrast boosting that I spotted on the German release is also noticeable on the French release. As a result, there are quite a few scenes that tend to look a bit rough. Nonetheless, even with all of the minor issues noted above, this transfer is very much a serious upgrade over every single DVD release of Léon that I have seen. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Léon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD HR 5.1 (Original version), English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 (International version) and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 (original version). For the record, Gaumont have supplied optional French and French HOH subtitles for the main feature.

While the German Blu-ray release of Léon offered an English DTS-HD HR 7.1 track (as well as a German DTS-HD HR 7.1 dub), the French release offers only an English DTS-HD HR 5.0 track (as well as French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 dub).

I really wish Gaumont would have provided an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track instead of an English DTS-HD HR 5.0 track. Still, what I heard last night, while I was viewing the film with the English DTS-HD HR 5.0 track, sounded quite good. The dialog was crisp, clear and very easy to follow. I did not detect any dropouts, cracks, or hissings either. The bass was also solid. Once again, I think that there is probably a bit of room for improvement here but, overall, this is a very aggressive audio track that will surely impress many of you. Don't be discouraged by the fact that there isn't an English DTS-HD Master Audio track of some sort!

Léon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The German release of Léon had the following supplemental features - an isolated music score, a theatrical trailer, a photo gallery and three featurettes - "Jean Reno – The Road to Leon", "Natalie Portman – Starting Young" and "Leon – A Ten Year Retrospective". Strangely enough, these are not included on the French disc. Gaumont have only provided two trailers for the main feature (both in PAL).

Léon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For whatever reason, Luc Besson's Léon has not yet received a Blu-ray treatment on this side of the Atlantic. I suspect that at some point in the future we will see a domestic release. Until then, however, the French Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Gaumont, remains the only option for those English speaking fans of the film who are not yet Region-Free. Recommended.