Leon - The Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

Product Information

It was commercially successful in Japan, being certified gold for 100,000 copies shipped in December 1999. At Metacritic, the film received an average score of 64 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". To celebrate this landmark, Studiocanal has put together a new 4K release of the director’s cut of Leon. English audio track with optional English subtitles, and I have to say that the film looks spectacular. For those not familiar with Leon, the basic crux of the matter centres on clinical hitman Leon (Reno) and young Mathilda (Portman).

However, he was not entirely complimentary: "Always at the back of my mind was the troubled thought that there was something wrong about placing a 12-year-old character in the middle of this action. Hal Hinson, of The Washington Post, also praised Oldman's acting, saying "Reno plays it minimally; Oldman splatters his performance all over the screen. That means that Eric Serra’s distinctive soundtrack comes across without issue, and the music really drives the story well. When Léon is out on a job, Mathilda fills a bag with guns from Léon's collection and sets out to kill Stansfield.The surround track is vibrant and effective, keeping the dialogue clear throughout, while emphasising the action, making for an immersive presentation. Mathilda goes to Tony and tries to convince him to hire her, but Tony flatly refuses to hire a twelve-year-old and tells Mathilda that Léon told him to give his money to her if anything happened to him. One of his men arrives and informs him that Léon killed Malky, one of the corrupt DEA agents, in Chinatown that morning. Interview Jean Reno lasts 6:44, and Interview Eric Serra lasts 10:03 and these two featurettes are in HD.

It is the most electrifying performance I have seen from Gary Oldman, this edgy, wired, unpredictable sociopath. The majority of said footage further shines the spotlight on the moments shared by Leon and Mathilda, which adds a few nice touches to the overall narrative of Leon. This version is 26 minutes longer than the previously released version and includes, amongst others, one sequence that was removed from the film after the disastrous tests with L.

The additional material is found in the film's second act, and it depicts more of the interactions and relationship between Léon and Mathilda, as well as explicitly demonstrating how Mathilda accompanies Léon on several of his hits as "a full co-conspirator", to further her training as a contract killer. Unquestionably, Leon is an absolute masterpiece with some jaw-dropping performances from Natalie Portman, Jean Reno, and a turned-up-to-11 Gary Oldman. As for the director’s cut element of this Leon release, this is the same director’s cut first seen in 2004 that adds 23 minutes of footage to the movie. It seems absolutely crazy to think that Luc Besson’s Leon is now celebrating 25 years since its initial release, but it is indeed 25 years and counting since this iconic movie was first released in 1994. The image is clear and sharp, colours are rich and consistent, and there is a discrete but natural layer of film grain, making for a very rewarding viewing experience.