1. Leon The Professional

No kids”My Take:I reviewed Leon: The Professional’s 2015 Blu-ray release, and have included my comments from that review here. Be advised that there are spoilers contained therein.

To avoid them skip the second and third paragraphs. Ratings for film, Dolby Atmos/TrueHD sound, and bonus content will be the same, as they are identical to that release. New comments and ratings for the new Ultra HD video are below.Leon: The Professional is a compelling film about two people thrown together by life changing circumstances who come to share a bond that will unite them in spirit forever. Leon (Reno) is a mafia hit man working for Tony. He came to NYC straight from Italy at 19 years old after avenging the death of the only woman he ever loved by killing the man responsible. He came from a poor background, with little experience in life, or the ways of the big city. Since his arrival he keeps to himself and goes about his work with stealth like and ruthless precision that has earned him a reputation in the underworld.Mathilda (Portman) is a preteen living with her father, four year old brother, teenage step sister and step mother.

Her life to this point hasn’t been an ideal one as she suffers physical and mental abuse from everyone except her little brother whom she loves dearly. She and Leon live in the same apartment building just doors apart and often exchange looks or casual banter but nothing more.

Her father is in cahoots with a group of crooked DEA agents whom he holds illicit drugs for. When some of the drugs come up missing Stansfield (Oldman), the head of the DEA squad, comes calling while Mathilda is out at the grocery store. Stansfield and his men murder the entire family which accidentally included her brother who was hiding under a bed. Being the streetwise 12 year old she is, upon her return she sees the mayhem from the hallway and goes to Leon’s apartment pretending that she lives there.He reluctantly lets her in saving her from the fate of her family. This begins their association as Leon now has his structured seemingly “quiet” life turned upside down by a preteen adolescent hell bent on retribution. What neither of them is prepared for is the escalation of their relationship after Mathilda coerces Leon into instructing her in the art of “cleaning”. The difference in their ages not withstanding Leon and Mathilda differ little in terms of their emotional maturity.

He can be childlike and guileless while she can be wise beyond her years, unscrupulous and undaunted. By the same token they are each capable of any of the aforementioned attributes which makes them a good team.

Leon The Professional

With only limited training Mathilda decides to confront Stansfield on her own. She fails to comprehend the truly cunning, sadistic and frivolous way which Stansfield perceives killing and underestimates him. She gets in over her head and Leon must step from the shadows of the world that has kept him known only through whispers and legend in order to save her.I have loved this film since the first time I saw it on DVD. It is so much more than just a story about a hit man that helps a little girl seek revenge on those responsible for the death of her family.

It’s a romance that eschews the standardized meaning that we commonly associate with that word. It doesn’t do this in a way that feels dirty or inappropriate in my opinion. It depicts two people that share a common experience which draws them together on an emotional level that satisfies their need to truly care for someone and be truly cared for in return.

This transcends the boundaries of age and is solidified by a shared purpose that will inevitability be their undoing.The performances by Jean Reno, young Natalie Portman (in her film debut), and Gary Oldman make for a thoroughly engrossing film. To watch Gary Oldman is to love him because he is simply amazing. This film made me a permanent Jean Reno fan. He and Natalie Portman share wonderful onscreen chemistry which helped enliven their characters making it easy to care about them. I have seen it a half dozen times and it never loses its luster. Writer/director Luc Besson absolutely nails it with superb pacing, creative direction, and an engaging story that is replete in its ability to elicit emotive audience reaction that is further augmented by brief but superlative action and lightly veiled humor. I prefer the extended version versus the U.S.

Theatrical release (Sony has included both on this Blu-ray disc woo hoo!) as I feel it is more complete and true from a conceptual standpoint.