SPHE Press Release: Leon: The Professional (Blu-ray)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CORRUPTION.  VENGEANCE.  ADOLESCENCE.

 

Oscar® Nominees Natalie Portman & Danny Aiello

Star with Gary Oldman and Jean Reno In

 

LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL

 

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY DISC™ NOVEMBER 17, 2009

 

Culver City, Calif. (September xx, 2009).  For the first time on high definition Blu-ray™, the suspense-laden thriller Léon: The Professional is unleashed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on November 17, 2009 for the SLP of 24.95.  The Blu-ray will include the “International Version” which features 23 minutes of footage not included in the original U.S. theatrical version.  Written and directed by acclaimed French filmmaker Luc Besson (Arthur and the Invisibles, The Fifth Element), Léon: The Professional is a no-holds-barred tension-fraught flick full of bloodlust and deceit, driven by a friendship between a hired gun and a little girl.

When 12-year-old Mathilda’s (Natalie Portman, Oscar® nominee Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Closer, 2005) family is gunned down by a corrupt DEA agent (Gary Oldman, Bram Stoker’s Dracula), she has nowhere to go but to her reclusive neighbor Léon (Jean Reno, The Da Vinci Code).  Fortuitously, the neighbor happens to be a hitman.   When the young woman learns of his profession, she coaxes him to teach her the tricks of his trade in order to exact revenge on her family’s killer.  

 

The feature also stars Oscar® nominee Danny Aiello (Oscar® nominee Best Actor in a Supporting Role,Do the Right Thing, 1990) 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.   

The Professional Synopsis
Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello star in The Professional, a go-for-broke thriller about a professional assassin whose work becomes dangerously personal. Calling himself a "cleaner," the mysterious Léon (Reno) is New York's top hitman. When his next-door neighbors are murdered, Léon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family's sole survivor - 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman).  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 (Oldman) who murdered her family.

Bonus Features Include:

·        Three Featurettes

o       10 Year Retrospective: “The Cast and Crew Look Back”

o       Jean Reno: “The Road to Léon”

o       Natalie Portman: “Starting Young”

·        Fact Track  - Exclusive to the Extended Cut

·        5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

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). 

The Professional has a run time of 110 minutes and is rated R for scenes of strong graphic violence and for language. The International Version has a run time of 133 minutes and is Not Rated.

"Oscar ®" is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

 

The Professional

Catalog #: 32918

UPC Code: 043396329188

Order Date: 10/15/09

SLP:  $24.95

 

Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com
 

  

Talk about a blind purchase if I ever saw one.

Folks, if there is anyone....anyone.....who has never seen
this film it is the ONE Blu-ray that belongs in your collection
sight unseen.

....and be certain to watch the International version (LEON)
as I think it's a better story overall. 

Thank You, Sony, for doing the right thing with this release
and we all know it's going to look fantastic.

You can preorder it on Amazon for $16.99 by clicking here.

This is a must buy for me, especially at that price. I have actually never seen the U.S. theatrical version, so it will be interesting to finally see how the international cut is superior.

 I certainly won't hesitate, with all that bang for the buck, and Sony's reputation for quality catalogue transfers.

A must own.

I had heard early reports that this would include only the U.S. version of the movie.  Glad to see that was incorrect.  Off to pre-order!

EDIT: Added Heat to the order and had them ship at the same time for free.  Might get them a little later than everyone else, but still getting them :).

Too bad about the exclusion of the isolated score in possible lossless. Glad this is only $16.99 from Amazon.com.

Sounds like overblown contrast on this one but I am still getting it to finally replace my DVD..

Just got my copy of this.  What would you guys like me to check? 

I just quickly browsed through the Theatrical version of 
the new Blu-ray release of LEON/THE PROFESSIONAL.

You can select which version you want to watch by 
clicking PLAY on the main menu.

Someone mentioned CONTRAST levels.  I don't know if
an issue was brought up in another review posted elsewhere
however, I do see that contrast levels appear to be a bit
exaggerated.  Outdoor scenes seem to be a bit bright and
there is even a scene in the beginning of the film where Leon is
buying milk in the store and the refrigerator gives off some
rather high levels of light.

But here's the thing....

CONTRAST was mentioned in this thread so I went looking
for something that may or may not be a problem. I did not take
the time to look at the DVD transfer to compare. On a whole
the transfer looks very acceptable.  It does have a very gritty,
grainy look to it.  That's good.  

I generally don't worry about anything Sony puts out.  They
are very much on top of everything they do -- especially when
it comes to transfer quality.

I preordered this along w/ Mask of Zorro from Amazon when both were just $13.99 each (apparently pricematched to BB's previous sale).  Figured Sony should be a safe enough bet for these two, which I cannot really say for any other studio (for catalog titles anyway) at this point -- well, Criterion is also generally very reliable and top notch though not actually its own studio (and haven't released that many BDs yet).

Hope Sony does not disappoint.

_Man_

I watched this the other week (UK Blu-ray Disc) and I felt the same.  Apart from the contrast problem, everything else on this disc looks fantastic, and I wondered if I'd have noticed the problem had it not been pointed out to me.

Steve W

Mine doesn't ship out until the 17th so I still have to wait. Damn it.

Sounds like a buy for me then!