Leon Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Leon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 24, 2014

Nominated for seven Cesar Awards, Luc Besson's "Leon" a.k.a "Leon: The Professional" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal. The supplemental features on the disc include new video interviews with actor Jean Reno and acclaimed composer Eric Serra. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The professional

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

Later on. A 12-year-old girl (Natalie Portman, Closer, My Blueberry Nights) runs into the killer while trying to avoid a merciless DEA cop (Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy, 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 stay 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 naive 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 French director 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 more 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 that meet under some unusual circumstances and become close friends. That is it. It is flashy and packed with adrenalin but also tender and beautiful film. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the version of the film to see.

Between the shootouts there is plenty of humor. Reno’s 'cleaning' lessons, in particular, are filled with spectacular lines that effectively counter most of the film’s gritty action. Reno's endless facial expressions are also hilarious. Portman is a worthy match for the French actor. She brings to the screen the complex emotions her character struggles with exceptionally well. Oldman, who plays the psychopathic DEA cop, also leaves a lasting impression. Each time he appears on screen Léon completely loses its sweetness. Unsurprisingly, when he finally confronts the killer there are lots of fireworks.

Cinematographer Thierry Arbogast, who during the '90s lensed some of the best films that came out of France -- amongst them Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s The Horseman on the Roof (1995), Patrice Leconte’s Ridicule (1996), and Gilles Mimouni’s The Appartment (1996) -- deserves a lot of credit for the film's deceptive simplicity. Long-time Besson collaborator Eric Serra’s (The Big Blue) soundtrack is also unforgettable.

Leon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luc Besson's Leon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

Please note that there are two versions of the film on this release:

1. Director's Cut (02.12.43).
2. Theatrical Version (01.50.12).

The high-definition transfer has been struck from the same master Optimum Home Entertainment/StudioCanal accessed in 2009 for their standard Blu-ray release of Leon. Unsurprisingly, its basic characteristics are identical to those of the high-definition transfer from the standard Blu-ray release.

Generally speaking, most close-ups look pleasing, while the panoramic shots boast good clarity. Traces of light contrast boosting and sharpening, however, are easy to spot throughout the entire film. During close-ups it is also easy to see that some of the fine grain is mixed with light noise. Still, the film still has a pleasing organic look. Color reproduction is satisfactory, but it is obvious that saturation can be better. Image stability is good. Lastly, a few tiny flecks still pop up here and there. All in all, this is a good presentation of Leon, but it would have been nice to see a brand new transfer for the film's 20th anniversary. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Leon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, StudioCanal have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The lossless 5.1 track is very good. It has an excellent range of nuanced dynamics and clarity is outstanding. The elaborate action sequences sound particularity good, but Eric Serra's score also makes an impression. The dialog is very crisp, free of background hiss, stable, and easy to follow. Also, there are no pop ups, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Leon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Jean Reno - in this new video interview, actor Jean Reno recalls his work with young Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman (the two became big friends after the film was completed), and discusses the style and tone of the film. In English, not subtitled (7 min).

• Interview with Eric Serra - in this new video interview, acclaimed composer Eric Serra recalls his first encounter with Luc Besson and how the soundtrack for Leon came to exist. Mr. Serra also discusses the specific music themes that were used during key sequences. In English, not subtitled (10 min).

Leon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It would have been quite nice if this upcoming 20th anniversary SteelBook release of Luc Besson's Leon used a brand new high-definition transfer. As it is, I think that it will appeal primarily to hardcore fans of the film and folks who do not yet have the film in their collections. There are two good new interviews with Jean Reno and composer Eric Serra on this release, but the supplemental features from the 2009 Blu-ray release have been dropped. RECOMMENDED.