Léon: The Professional 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Léon: The Professional 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Professional is a movie that seems, lately, anyway, inexorably joined at the hip with The Fifth Element. Both were directed by Luc Besson. Both seem to lately release at the same time to home video, both are fan favorites, both star Gary Oldman in unforgettable roles, both are cash cows for Sony on the rebuy market with every new must-have home theater tech, yet both couldn't otherwise be more dissimilar. The Fifth Element is a spectacle of internally smart yet externally absurd Sci-Fi action and humor while The Professional is a more dour piece about love and maturity in the midst of violence. Yet here they are, bedfellows of the home theater market, each previously released to Blu-ray (The Fifth Element following up on a poorly received 2006 release), followed by mastered in 4K 1080p presentations that both came to market on the same day. It's been a long road to this point, and with so many releases and choices, the question remains: are these twin UHD releases finally the definitive home video versions of two of the great fan-favorite films of the 1990s?

Léon: The Professional 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Léon: The Professional is another shot-on-film catalogue release that looks positively gorgeous on the UHD format. The 2160p, HDR-ehnanced presentation offers a high-yield presentation in terms of both detail and color. The image is sharp but naturally so, lightly and largely consistently grainy, enhancing the presentation and textural assuredness while increasing the presentation's filmic credentials. The film is texturally diverse and, beyond a few softer corners and edges, never fails to offer enticingly complex and very well realized details. Clothes are a particular standout. Whether higher-dollar suits, lower-cost shirts, frayed sweaters, leather jackets, or ski masks and tactical gear, the UHD delivers each example with innate sharpness and superior clarity. Environments are richly diverse and authentic, too. Run-down apartments see well-worn appliances and chipping paint while urban exteriors showcase a variety of brick and concrete textures against any number of sharp and expertly defined support elements. Coloring is fantastic. The image is a bit warm throughout, seeing flesh tones a little on the hot side, at times, but the diversity of popping primaries out on city streets, multicolored labels on items around apartments, and different examples of attire reveal sturdy and deeply saturated colors that benefit from fine gradation and accuracy across a broad range and along both large swaths and small examples alike. Black levels maintain impressive depth throughout. The image struggles with no serious examples of print wear or other maladies from the source or the encode. This is a terrific UHD from Sony.

Léon: The Professional 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the previous "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray featured a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, Blu-ray.com was then not equipped to cover it. While this is not a full-fledged review as most everything from the previous review and the core Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track still applies, here is a brief update. The film delivers an expansive listening environment during action and makes several quality uses of the overhead channels. Shootouts and blasts of more distinctive gunfire offer plenty of oomph and differentiation between caliber and style of weapon; shotguns are more potent than pistol fire, for example, but both are very commanding of the listening environment. There's no shortage of distinct placement and presentation as shots ring out and impact all over the stage. Shattering and flying debris and a din of chaos all accompany many scenes. Gary Oldman yells "EVERYONE!" in the third act, and the result is a mild, but noticeable, overhead reverberation. Sprinklers are set off a few minutes later to much more pronounced top-end effect, easily the most impressive "overhead" moment in the movie.

Léon: The Professional 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Léon's UHD release contains two cuts of the film: Theatrical (1:49:27) and Extended (2:12:57). The disc also includes the usual stable of Sony UHD goodies, including cast and crew stills and a collection of Moments (2160p/HDR/Atmos): Léon, Cleaning, Stansfield, and Mathilda. As for the remainder of the supplements, they're included on the Blu-ray, which is identical to the "Mastered in 4K" release form a couple of years back. Please click here for a full review. A UV digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

Léon: The Professional 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Léon: The Professional is a fantastic movie that shines on the UHD format. Picture-perfect video, well balanced Atmos audio, and a few supplements make this release a winner. Very highly recommended.