5 Star

The Only Professional.

After Nikita, La Femme Nikita and before The Fifth Element, writer/director Luc Besson brought us the greatest hitman ever in Leon: The Professional. This was Luc Besson’s seminal work, making its lead actors household names in the Western hemisphere. Going from the brooding illiterate hitman, to the little lost girl and a DEA drug addled officer on the hunt. It has it all, plus this release has all the trimmings in the Theatrical and Director’s cut, plus much more, (see below).

Little Italy, New York, and Tony (Danny Aiello, Moonstruck, Do the Right Thing) is in conference with his ‘cleaner’ Leon (Jean Reno, 22 Bullets, Ronin). They are discussing the ‘Fatman’ (Frank Senger, Mickey Blue Eyes, 13) and the fact that he is trying to muscle in on their mutual friend, crime lord Maurizio, who has tried to have words with the Fatman, but he has ignored him. Tony asks Leon if he can have a word with him. OK. While Leon is off to have a word with the Fatman,

Somebody’s coming up. Somebody serious.

DEA agent Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, State of Grace) is visiting the family of twelve-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman, V for Vendetta, Black Swan) as Stansfield uses this house as a store for his stolen cocaine. But he discovers that Mathilda’s father (Michael Badalucco, The Practice (TV Series), O Brother, Where Art Thou?) has been skimming the pure drug and cutting it to make some money on the side. He denies that he had anything to do with it, so Stansfield gives him twenty-four hours to find out who is responsible.

Fast-forward the allotted hours, and we find Mathilda arguing with her fitness obsessed sister (Elizabeth Regen, Parting Words, Beer League), while her mother (Ellen Greene, Little Shop of Horrors, Talk Radio) is getting amorous with her husband. Due to the arguing, Mathilda is sent to get some groceries. During her shopping trip, Stansfield and his men turn up to have a final word with her father.

I like these quiet little moments before the storm. It reminds me of Beethoven.

What ensues is a bloodbath as Stansfield exacts his wrath upon Mathilda’s family, no one is spared.  After the violence, the silence, as Stansfield’s men search for the stolen drugs. Mathilda returns from her shopping trip and spots the carnage, she keeps her cool and heads down the corridor to Leon’s apartment, she rings the bell and prays that the stranger she met in the hallway yesterday takes pity on her. Eventually, the door opens and Mathilda enters the sanctuary of Leon’s apartment.

Now a strange pseudosexual relationship begins, between the loner and the lost girl.

Leon, what exactly do you do for a living?

Cleaner.

You mean you’re a hit man?

Yeah.

Cool.

If you know Leon, then this is the perfect time to get the beloved theatrical release and now the extended director’s cut, plus an extra disc of special features. If you don’t know of the legend of our favourite cleaner, then this is the perfect way to be educated in the art of cleaning with ‘The Professional’.

I don’t give a shit about sleeping, Leon. I want love, or death. That’s it.

Nobody messes with Stansfield, and Leon is the cleaner, there will be no mess.

Leon: The Definitive Edition SteelBook is available on 4K Blu-ray

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Both director’s cut and theatrical version of the movie

• New Andre Labbouze, technical director – 10 min

• New Thierry Arbogast, cinematographer – 20 min

• New Sylvie Landra, film editor – 30 min

• New Alain Kruger, journalist – 15 min