The Professional

Whether you view the original "Leon" or the American version "The Professional", you will be in for a rare treat. In lesser hands, this could easily have been nothing more than a reasonably good action movie, or worse yet, an exploitation film taking advantage of a highly taboo piece of subject matter, and that being pedophilia. In Luc Besson's hands, it becomes a small masterpiece. The additional 24 minutes of footage in the original movie version changes the meaning of this film to a surprising degree. As one reviewer put it (and I paraphrase here), the American version is more innocent, and takes into account American sensibilities (or non-sensibilities, as I like to put it). The American version is a very good film, but the deleted footage added plot holes while lacking the depth and nuances in the original. Leon (played by Jean Reno) is an odd-looking 40 something year-old man with almost a childlike mind. He may even be close to being an idiot savant in that he can do only one thing well (actually exceptionally well), and that is killing (he is a professional hit man, and the deadliest of his kind). Although he can speak English, he cannot read, and since coming to this country has been under the influence of a mafia boss, Tony (played by Danny Aiello) who takes full advantage of Leon's abilities and especially his disabilities. Tony hires Leon for specialized contracts, but keeps his money as his banker and only doles out a little at a time (the audience knows full well that Leon will never see much of what he has earned). Leon is a pathetic individual who lives a secluded and lonely life. He sleeps in a chair fully clothed with a loaded gun within arms reach. He is an outsider with no social skills, loves only a plant, drinks only milk, and who escapes his brutal and barren reality by involving himself in old, nostalgic movies. In contrast, Mathilda (played by Natalie Portman) is a beautiful 12 year-old girl raised in a drug influenced and unloving home. She's a young girl who is continually the brunt of her father's anger, often beaten and always neglected. She is also a girl who, because of her environment, is streetwise well beyond her years. She escapes her brutal reality by immersing herself into cartoons. The tragic incident that brings these two lost souls together is the murder of Mathilda's entire family (but particularly her 4 year-old brother who she dearly loves) by out-of-control DEA agents led by a truly psychotic agent, Stansfield (played by Gary Oldman). Once this unlikely pair are forced together, they begin to complement each others deficiencies and needs, and this is the heart and soul of this fine film. Leon as the reluctant protector, actually becomes her guide into the world of killing, while Mathilda, needing revenge for her little brother's death, teaches Leon to read, and ultimately to care, feel, and love. Is it any wonder that by fulfilling such basic needs, it turns into love? But what kind of love are we talking about? Basically, it's the love of a father and daughter, yet there is a seething undercurrent suggesting so much more. Mathilda easily mistakes this love as being "in love", and in her limited knowledge, she IS in love. Leon, meanwhile, denies his attraction for Mathilda to himself, and to her. Besson handles all this with utmost care and realism. My hat goes off to the entire cast (even Oldman, although his performance is over-the-top, it is extremely chilling). However, what makes or breaks this movie is the performance by Natalie Portman under Besson's wonderful direction. Her roll is the key, and she lights up the screen every single second she is on it. Her big, beautiful brown eyes sparkle with a child's laughter in one scene, then steams the screen seductively in the next. There are so many memorable scenes that there just aren't enough words allotted to describe them all. Suffice it to say, this movie kept me on the edge of my seat and totally captivated. Between 1 and 10, "The Professional" gets a marginal 8, while "Leon" gets a solid 9. Admittedly, this film is not for everyone, especially those who are easily offended either by the topic or the language. That being said, I don't think you can possibly lose with either film version. So what could make this film a 10? To tell you the truth, the action scenes (as intense and as good as they were) often took away from the real story (I sometimes wonder what was left on the cutting room floor in lieu of some of these action scenes). One can readily understand why this was done. "The Professional" could reach a much larger audience if it highlighted the action. Unfortunately, we live in a world where violence and death are glorified and love, especially forbidden love, is a topic that most find extremely difficult to handle, or even understand.

A favorite movie for all time

This is how Blu-Ray should have always been, to me packaging is VERY important I've made a purchase base on how something was packaged. I've been buying movies for a very long time and in the beginning I didn't buy many VHS tapes because of the price {$89.99 and more} then I had the problem of family members "can I borrow that movie" and never get it back SO I moved on to Laser Disc which was great and the packaging was Awesome on most disc {I still have about 150 movies including the original Star Wars (as seen in the theaters), no one had a laser disc player (the price was the problem as most disc were $50 or more unless you got them on sale) SO my collection is still intact, then it was DVD, good quality and better pricing (most disc were $20) but everyone has a DVD player So after losing 3 movies I just learned to say "NO". One day I was hanging out at Sony Plaza here in Manhattan and was downstairs and a friend who worked there said "do you want to see the future?" we went into a back studio and he showed me Blu-Ray...that was it for me I stopped buying DVD's that very day and it would be about 18 months before the first player would become available and I waited and waited and then I got my SONY BDP-S1, but I didn't care for how the movies were packaged; then they came out with steel cases which I didn't care for as you still got nothing on the inside a booklet would have been nice. Then they came out with the Blu-Ray Book aka Digibook which I LOVE I own about 20 and when I get a chance I will even replace a regular Blu-Ray with a Digibook purchase. SO let's move on to the review, I had not upgraded The Professional from Laser Disc so it was time anyway I love the look of the plexiglass covers {downside...finger prints} and as this is the first in a series the front and back covers come out of the slots (I didn't have this happen with Dracula or The Fifth Element) nothing a little super glue won't fix but at $27 you should not have to fix anything! The Quality of the film and the sound is AWESOME!!! you can tell that this film has been re-mastered to the 9's, I can't wait to see what this is going to look like on my Sony 4K TV when I get one next year, planning on moving by then SO I can wait and have it installed properly and hooked up to my home theater. So far there are only three titles that have been released in this Sony Cinema Series Blu-Ray collection and all three are great films...I look forward to adding to this collection and I hope they fix the cover issue, I wish they had half Stars So I could give this review 4 1/2 stars but if you have kids and watch movies ALL the time this may become a problem as the inside edges of the plexiglass is VERY sharp. I'm not sure how the covers will hold up after heavy usage as the covers bend on the front and back and the spine is left un-cracked and you can hear the covers creaking (this may have been what caused the covers to come out of there bindings) After they work out the kinks this will be perfect if you're a single person ,a couple with no kids, or older kids who take care of things but not for homes with small children unless you place them out of reach... I can't wait for the next batch to come out, the only other problem is these are about $27 each and with most Blu-Rays at $15.99-19.99 when the first come out if you're on a budget this may be a little pricey for you but if you love Cinema then you'll love these...GREAT JOB SONY!!! more DIGIBOOKS!!!

Great Bluray.

Great movie! Lots of action. The actors were brilliant. The reason I gave it only 4 stars was because Gary Oldman way overdid the part. It was hard to watch. I actually felt sorry for him.

Really good movie.

First, a word of warning: Don't mistake the bland US version ("The Professional") with the genius of the original version ("Leon"). The backstory: Leon (Jean Reno) is a man with a past; having fled to America to avoid prosecution for killing the man who murdered his love (the upper-class father of the girl, who'd rather see his daughter dead than involved with the lower-class likes of Leon), he's taken under the wing by Tony (Danny Aiello), who cultivates the murderous tendencies of the young lad, and turns him into the best of the best: a lone, dedicated "cleaner"; a professional hit man that knows no equal. Mathilda (Natalie Portman's movie debut) is the daughter of a small-time drug-pusher, who shares her life with her little brother (whom she dearly loves), her dad (who beats her), her stepmother (who doesn't care) and her half-sister (with a mutual dislike that borders to hate). The dysfunctional family life has turned the 12 year old girl old before her age, and what little love and care she has left in her is devoted to her little brother. The story of the movie: D.E.A. detective Stansfield (a deliciously over-the-top performance by Gary Oldman) runs a little side-business - pushing drugs (what else?); when Mathilda's father decides to make a bit of a profit by holding back some of the drugs Stansfield left in his care, he invites the wrath of the detective, who - in a blind rage - murders the entire family. Mathilda, who was sent shopping before Stansfield and his crew arrived, comes back to the apartment while the carnage is still going on, and turns to the only other person in the apartment building she knows: Leon. Reluctantly, he decides to let her into his apartment, and this is the start of an uncomfortable yet moving relationship between Leon, the lone cleaner, and Mathilda, the confused and angry little girl. It's a relationship that changes Leon's life profoundly, shakes him to the core of his very soul (a soul he'd denied having since having killed his one love's killer.) The difference between "The Professional" and "Leon" (contains spoilers!): "The Professional" is the American cut, which misses 24 minutes of the story; the cut was made because it was felt (rightly so, judging by some of the other reviews) that the American audiences would be uncomfortable with the original cut. "Leon" starts with the hit man on an assignment, sent out to teach a small-time drug dealer a little lesson (missing in "The Professional"); this scene is essential to introduce us to the man that is Leon the cleaner... an invisible force of violence that knows no mercy, with catlike moves and no qualms. After this, we're introduced to Mathilda and her family, and the crazy (addicted and furious) detective Stansfield; after the carnage, Mathilda flees into the arms of Leon, and a one-sided love story develops, with Mathilda growing incessantly devoted to the cleaner; besides her wish to avenge her little brother's meaningless death, she clings to Leon with a passion she hasn't yet learned how to deal with - and all the time, Leon rejects her attempts to either make him her lover or her teacher. When faced with her final rage and despair (another removed scene in "The Professional", where she holds a loaded gun to her head to drive the point through), he decides to at least meet her halfway... and because he can't love her the way she loves him, he offers her the next best thing, and the following cut (removed from "The Professional") shows Leon taking Mathilda out on his "jobs"... her initial training as a cleaner. People who say that the original version is a perversion with pedophiliac tendencies haven't *seen* the cut... because even though Mathilda keeps pushing Leon towards her mistaken and misguided idea of love, Leon never gives in, except near the very end, where all he does is concede to lie next to her, to sleep, instead of sleeping in the armchair near his window. This is also the defining moment in Leon's life, where his soul-searching reaches an end... as one finds out in the tense and heartbreaking finale that follows immediately after. All in all, where "The Professional" is just a decent action movie, "Leon" actually has a well-defined story to it (and real character development), that has you sitting on the edge of your chair for 2 hours and 16 minutes, with the occasional burst of laughter (Luc Besson always manages to add some - albeit dark - humor into his movies.)

I first saw this film when it was known as "Leon", and then as "Leon: The Professional". Today it is still my favorite Luc Besson work. Gritty and innovative in its look into a relationship forged from desperation, The Professional offers a subtle complexity in story telling. Set in a world of crime and corruption, the growing relationship between Leon and Mathilda is sensitive, surprising, and often comical. Is Leon the adult, acting as a surrogate father and teacher, with Mathilda in the role of wishful daughter and student? Or is she the more mature, with Leon the student? And what of this strange sexual attraction she has for him. Is it real, or part of a psychological game she needs to survive? It seems that everyone has a different read on these themes after seeing the film. Part of Besson's talent? Norman Stansfield, the corrupt DEA agent, poses as the threat to disrupt and possibly end the futures of both Mathilda and Leon. Representing the best of the dark side, he is unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unlikable - the perfect antagonist from New York's sophisticated underbelly. He would say that he is just unappreciated. Tony represents the other side of corruption in the story. Though appearing as a minor character in the film, he actually plays an important role in providing a connection between Leon, Mathilda, and Stansfield. In the beginning, Tony represents a professional mentor for Leon; and yet he is a big brother, an uncle, the only family that Leon has. In the end, he represents a caring guardian for Mathilda - maybe the only "family" she will have. I thought the cinematography was outstanding. Wonderful shots, both exterior and interior. In particular, the opening scene with Leon representing Tony's agent of death, the DEA raid and execution of Mathilda's family, and the final apartment siege were all impressive. Excellent sound and effects - these were the dramatic, physical grips that cause many visceral reactions. Though there were a few technical mistakes, common among action films, these did not detract from the scenes. The cast was impressive. Though Jean Reno was outstanding as the moody, enigmatic Leon, his performance may have been exceeded by Natalie Portman as Mathilda, and Gary Oldman as Stansfield. You had to enjoy her Mathilda as a 12 year old with attitude, yet protecting a softer side within. Oldman's portrayal of the psychotic Stansfield, with all his sadistic wit, is quite remarkable. (Oldman has an unique ability to portray these darker characters in other movies.) Even Danny Aiello's role as Tony, the mafioso, was quite credible. Overall, an excellent action film, embedded in a intriguing story with an interesting human relationship. Somewhat quirky, yet sophisticated and intense. I loved it.