DVD released: September 9th, 2003
Approximate running time: 133 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS
DVD Release: Columbia / TriStar
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $26.95

“I like these calm little moments before the storm. It reminds me of Beethoven. Can you hear it? It’s like when you put your head to the grass and you can hear the growin’ and you can hear the insects. Do you like Beethoven?” - Agent Norman Stansfield

Leon (Jean Reno), is a professional hit man for hire who works for Tony (Danny Aiello). Leon is one of the best in his profession and he lives in a rundown apartment building in little Italy. Mathilda (Natalie Portman), enters Leon’s life after her family is slaughtered by Agent Stansfield and his thugs. At first Leon wants nothing to do with Mathilda, but as the film progresses he teaches how to become an assassin. Leon will accept any job as long as it doesn’t involve killing women or kids. Through their loneliness Leon and Mathilda find something in each other that strengthens their bond for each other. Mathilda takes matters into her own hands when she sets out to kill the men who killed her little brother. Will Leon save her from these men, or will saving Mathilda lead to Leon’s demise?

Luc Besson with La Femme Nikita had announced to the international film world that he had arrived. Three years later with Leon he would expand on the ideas and themes from La Femme Nikita in Leon giving them more depth. Leon has had a varied history through the years in 1994 it was released by Columbia/TriStar as The Professional in a much shorter 110 minute version for American audiences. Fast forward to 2000 when Columbia/TriStar re-released the film on DVD this time as Leon The Professional in its 133-minute cut of the film which spends more time developing the characters. Every now and then comes along a film like Leon were the script, Cast and Director are all at the top of their game as they elevate the material to another level. Luc Besson expert direction keeps things moving and interesting as evident in the films final shoot out where Besson puts Leon and Mathilda in impossible situations. In the films opening scenes Besson sets the tone for what is to come as Leon single handedly takes out a group of body guards protecting a drug dealer. Eric Serra’s score captures the mood of the piece and just like his other scores that he wrote other Besson films his score is an integral part of the films success. Leon is filled with exceptional performances from its solid cast of actors. Natalie Portman in her film debut as Mathilda shows range and emotion beyond her years as her character at times seduces Leon. Gary Oldman has made a career playing crazy villain’s and as Agent Stansfield he manages to refine his performance without going to far over the top like he has done many times before playing similar roles. Jean Reno as Leon projects an intensity and sorrow that helps the audience sympathize with Leon. Unfortunately for Jean Reno, Leon is the character that he will be forever remembered for and so far he has yet to capture or top this performance. Leon is unlike most action movies is less about guns and explosions then characters and their choices they make.

The DVD:

Leon in its aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video. The colors are beautifully balanced with natural skin tones and the black levels are solid throughout. There are some instances visible digital artifacts. The level of detail is slight improvement over previously released edition from Columbia/TriStar. This Superbit edition isn’t as messy as the previous released version of Leon, still Columbia/TriStar should have done a little more cleaned up on the print they used.

This DVD comes with two audio options English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English DTS, subtitle options include French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English, for which Closed Captions are also available. The subtitles are easy to read and follow. Both audio options are outstanding as the bass is richly deep as it pulses through out the film and the gunfire this time around is less visceral then the previous edition of Leon. The dialog is crystal clear as even the faintest whisper can be heard with clarity. Eric Serra’s score has a nice shape and tone unfortunately for this Superbit DVD they neglected to include an isolated music track like the one included on the previous DVD.

This Superbit edition of Leon is the best version of the film currently available. There are no extras for this DVD and like most Superbit DVD’s the main focus of the bit-rate is dedicated to superior audio and video. Leon is a notch above most action films as it has profound things to say through its interesting character’s and plot devices. Leon also manages to keep the action inventive without ever becoming cliché and whether you are a fan of action or drama Leon is a must see film.