The Professional | Jean Reno, Gary Oldman

The Professional | Jean Reno, Gary Oldman | Portman a "Professional" at eleven.

DVDs:

The Professional

	The Professional Jean Reno, Gary Oldman Sony Pictures, 1998 average customer review:based on 439 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

the professional

How could anyone not love this movie,Jean Reno is adorable, and a gifted killer to boot. It is awesome watching him in action. Gary Oldman played the insane cop to perfection. Leon is the kind of guy you want to take home and love. AWESOME.. AWESOME..MOVIE

Portman a "Professional" at eleven.

"Leon (The Professional)" is an extremely violent film, which may discourage some viewers from discovering the extraordinary debut performance of eleven-year-old Natalie Portman. While one would expect excellence from Jean Reno (as the immigrant killer-for-hire Leon) and the demonic Gary Oldman as a corrupt and drug-addicted police officer, the real surpise is Portman's natural and effective portrayal of a child seeking revenge for the callous murder of her little brother. Leon accepts responsibility for her care, and the two develop an uneasy bond that is actually the main focus of the film. Several scenes are outstanding, such as Portman's tearful but underplayed plea to be admitted to Leon's apartment after seeing her father's lifeless body lying in a hallway. (The DVD contains an interview with the adult Portman, and refers to this scene.) Equally moving is Portman's developing crush on the much older Leon, and Reno's reserved and somewhat confused reaction to her advances ranks high among his, or any actor's, work on screen. The extended mayhem at the climax of the film is overdone, but nevertheless gripping, and provides a logical and touching resolution to this unusual but very plausible adult-child relationship. (Be sure to watch the Portman interview, in which she explains her parents' reluctance to allow her to accept the role, given the level of violence, her handling of weapons, and that she appears to be smoking.) This film was released internationally under the title "Leon" and in North America as "The Professional." The latter is a shorter version that omits several important scenes. Choose the extended version, which develops the relationship between the two main characters much more effectively. Fans of Natalie Portman should also check out the film Beautiful Girls in which she has a minor but extremely well acted role as a young and lovesick teenager. This film predicts her excellent later work in Where the Heart Is and Anywhere But Here.

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One of those director's cuts that actually is a director's cut

I'm sick of so-called "director's cuts" of films that add little to nothing to the initially released version of a particular film.

The director's cut of Leon: The Professional is not one of those films. This is a perfect example of how a director's original vision can make the theatrical cut pale in comparison. Even though I must admit that I can understand why the cuts in the film were made, at the very least they weren't lost forever. With the added 24 minutes, this film becomes a completely different animal. There are scenes which might make some uncomfortable that deal with Natalie Portman's character but upon watching the film, I thought it played out very honestly and not like some sicko's creepy fantasy. I think talking about the extra additions to this film in detail could ruin the viewing experience so I'll leave it untainted for the first time viewer. I will say that if you haven't seen this version and you liked the thetarical version, you should make it a point to.

Technically, this disc is solid on both audio and video. I believe the transfer is the exact same one as the Superbit release and the audio gets a DTS 5.1 track as well, so no complaints there. The special features aren't as in depth as I would've liked, with no input by Gary Oldman at all. There is a nice segment where Natalie Portman and Jean Reno are reunited and a trivia fact track that you can activate to play over the film.

If you like this film, this is the version to see and own.

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A Great Film That Will Never Die.

This is just one of those rare type of movies that come across every so often that really captures true human emotion without all the attention being focused on how many times something blows up or someone uttering a ridiculous line that forever huants the rest of that films celuloid life. This film is truly a work of art and will forever be one of my favorites.

Must have

If you like the movie, the Director's Cut is a must. 24-34 minutes added was worth it. Having the cast again and hearing the backstories was worth the addition. I just wish Gary Oldman was there too, but sadly missed

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