Blu-ray Léon lives a sad life as an assassin for the mob, his home a dingy flat at the end of a corridor. Every day he goes out, does a job and buys two quarts of milk. Today will be different....
Details
Mathilda is a twelve-year-old girl who lives with her father, stepmother, half-sister and baby brother in a run-down New York apartment. With frequent beatings from her father and a bullying sister, it's only her love for her little brother that gives Mathilda a purpose in life. Although the family is poor, there is always food on the table and money to pay the rent - but that's only because her father stores drugs for corrupt cop Norman Stansfield. When his latest stash becomes a lot less pure than it used to be, Stansfield comes looking for the person who has cut the drugs. When her father denies that he had anything to do with it, Stansfield gives him 24 hours to come up with the name of the person who did.
The following day Stansfield and his team return for their answers, already knowing full well what has happened. So, without a single shred of compassion, they gun down the entire family - including the youngest member, who is caught in the crossfire. Only Mathilda, who was out shopping at the time, survives the massacre. Upon returning from the shop, and noticing the carnage and gunmen still present in the apartment, she seeks shelter in the neighbouring flat - an apartment occupied by a sensitive, quiet man who keeps to himself and loves his plant. However, Léon is not all that he appears to be - he's a hitman, and a very good one too.
Mathilda soon discovers Léon's true profession and begs him to teach her his skills. Once she has learned from the master, Mathilda intends to avenge the murder of her beloved brother. Whilst Mathilda cannot offer much in return, she offers herself as a maid and teacher, helping Léon learn to read. Léon hesitantly accepts her offer and the two begin working together, slowly building an emotional attachment, with Léon becoming both a friend and the father figure she has never really had. But as Mathilda's confidence grows, it is not long before she is hunting down her family's killers - and Norman Stansfield is no fool. With the power of the police force behind him, he is not going to go quietly.
Picture & Sound
Given the age of the film there isn't a massive difference between the image quality of the standard DVD and Blu-Ray editions. However, that doesn't mean it's all bad news as the high-definition format certainly brings out a clarity that is missing from the original DVD release. It's never going to be a film to demonstrate the full wonders of the format, but the image is crisp and sharp and offers a good level of detail. As you'd expect, black levels are very solid (just watch the scene with the Fatman for confirmation of this), but there appears to have been very little effort put into cleaning up the transfer, with the occasional bit of print damage and dust scratches still visible. Still, it's a great film to have on the format and I'm not going to grumble too much at a few picture imperfections - I just wonder whether a fully remastered version is ever likely to appear.
The original DVD release came equipped with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack whilst the Blu-Ray edition comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Given that the original soundtrack was a bit of a disappointment, without any major remastering, the same can be said here too. Sure, the dialogue is crisp and clear in the centre channel, whilst there's a good amount of stereo steerage in the front channels, but the rear channels remain stubbornly quiet throughout the film - and given the amount of on-screen activity, that's a bit of a disappointment. Still, the additional dynamics and bandwidth of the DTS soundtrack do ensure it sounds a little more involving.
Menu & Extras
The menu is nicely designed with a score and clips from the film - it's nothing amazing, but it's effective and works very well. The original DVD releases of Léon were pretty criminal in their lack of extras, so it's great to finally get hold of a release with plenty of extras plus the option to watch either the Original Theatrical or Director's Cut version. Unfortunately, considering that this film is part of the Luc Besson collection, it's just a pity that Besson wasn't around to provide any input - such as a Director's Commentary or even an interview. Still, this release from Optimum Home Entertainment is certainly not a disappointment and fans of the film are more than catered for here - even if it is disappointing not to find subtitles on any of the extras.
Missing Luc Besson and Gary Oldman, the twenty-five minute 10 Year Retrospective - Making of Featurette brings back members of the cast and production team for a retrospective look at the film. Unfortunately, they are not all in the same place at the same time, so they each do their bit to camera in different locations and without knowing what anyone else has said. Never the less, it's a great featurette that offers plenty of background information along with a few little snippets not seen in the film. Next up is the thirteen minute Natalie Portman - Starting Young featurette. It's a great interview with plenty of information about her role - including clips of her audition. Unsurprisingly, given the nature of the film, her parents were understandably cautious about letting Natalie take the part, so they pushed for quite a few changes - especially around the smoking and some of the more uncomfortable undertones.
Following on from Natalie Portman's interview there's the twelve minute Jean Reno - The Road To Leon featurette. Given that Jean is much older than Natalie, there's been plenty more going on in his life, so the articulate and extremely interesting Reno talks about his younger days and his first tentative steps into theatre and, eventually, film. Again, it's an interesting interview - in an almost This is Your Life or South Bank Show style - and Reno doesn't keep anything back with the usual tales that fame and fortune brought. The extras are rounded off with the Theatrical Trailer. All in all, it's a good collection of extras which more than makes up for the rather sparse DVD releases that preceded it.
Overall
Most people will associate Natalie Portman with her rather stale role as Queen Amidala in the Star Wars prequels. But it's in Léon where she really shows her true potential - especially since she was so young at the time of filming. It is certainly a role that should have been beyond her years, but she takes it on with scene-stealing ease, which is no mean feat when she's up against the perfectly cast Jean Reno and the wonderfully unhinged Gary Oldman. It's no wonder the film has grown into something of a cult classic, and it still rates as one of my all-time favourites.
With an additional twenty-three minutes of footage restored in the Director's Cut, and a whole host of extras too, those who bought the original vanilla DVD (like myself) now have the perfect opportunity to upgrade to the Blu-Ray edition. Still, if you've already bought the director's cut on DVD then there's probably very little here to warrant rushing out and upgrading. However, if you're one of those people who relish owning their favourite films in high-definition then I'm not going to dissuade you - especially since that's exactly what I'm going to do.
Get yourself a genuine classic on Blu-Ray - get yourself a copy of Léon. It may not be one of the best looking Blu-Ray titles out there, but for the sheer thrill, tension and emotion of it, you can't get much better. It's just a pity Hollywood can't reproduce this kind of sharp, stylish and character-driven action thriller on a regular basis - instead having to import the amazing talent of people such as Luc Besson. Highly recommended.
Special features
- Léon Theatrical and Director's Cut versions
- 10 Year Retrospective - Making of featurette
- Natalie Portman - Starting Young featurette
- Jean Reno - The Road To Leon featurette
- Theatrical Trailer
