Written and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Luc Besson (“The Fifth Element”), “Léon: The Professional” is a tension-filled actioner about a friendship between a hired gun and a little girl.
When 12-year-old Mathilda’s (Natalie Portman) family is gunned down by a corrupt DEA agent (Gary Oldman), she has nowhere to go but to her reclusive neighbor Léon (Jean Reno). Fortuitously, the neighbor happens to be a hitman, a proud assassin calling himself a “cleaner, whose work becomes dangerously personal. Léon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family’s sole survivor, but Mathilda doesn’t just want protection; she wants revenge. Training her in the deadly tricks of his trade, Léon helps her track the psychotic agent, who murdered her family.
The feature also stars Oscar nominee Danny Aiello, as Léon’s ruthless mob boss Tony. This Blu-ray release also marks the first time that both the U.S. Theatrical version and the extended, unrated “International Version” will be included on the same disc. Special features include featurettes on Jean Reno (“The Road to Léon”) and Natalie Portman (“Starting Young”) as well as a retrospective with the cast & crew.
Bonus Features Include:
Three Featurettes
o Jean Reno: “The Road to Léon”
o Natalie Portman: “Starting Young”
Fact Track – Exclusive to the Extended Cut
The Professional was written, directed and co-produced by Luc Besson (Arthur and the Invisibles, The Fifth Element); executive produced by Claude Besson (La Femme Nikita); and stars Natalie Portman (Closer, The Other Boleyn Girl), Gary Oldman (Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Jean Reno (The Da Vinci Code) and Danny Aiello (Do the Right Thing).
Running time: 110 minutes.
The International Version has a running time of 133 minutes and is Not Rated.
