Action classic

Introduction

Finally, the Director's Cut of Leon arrives on DVD in the UK. We've been waiting for it for a gazillion years.

Ok that's not true, for two reasons. One, there's no such thing as a gazillion. And two, anyone who wanted to own the film bought the region 1 version ages ago.



But if you haven't, or you've only recently heard about Leon after watching some of Luc Besson's other work then this DVD will probably be for you. If you still don't know what I'm going on about, here's a rough round up of what happens:-

Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is a young girl who lives in an apartment in New York with her brother, her father and his latest lover. Her dad will never amount to much, and soon gets on the wrong side of some people he should have kept sweet. They arrive at the apartment and slaughter everyone inside whilst Mathilda is out. She convinces neighbour Leon to take her in and keep her safe. She soon finds out that he's a professional hitman, and wants to help him, whilst falling in love with him at the same time.

Video and Audio

As usual nowadays, an excellent 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is presented. Colours are fine and everything looks very good indeed. I know it's a bit of a cliche, but Luc Besson is a very "visual director" so there's definitely a feast for your eyes here, with some very clever shots and nice visual set-pieces.

Noise-wise there's a very good DD5.1 soundtrack which brings the visuals to life. From the excellent score by Eric Serra to the booms and bangs of the action scenes, there's plenty to bring a smile to your ears.

Extra Features

A massive improvement on the previous region 2 release (and about time too!)

First up is a "10 years on" making of retrospective documentary, where the main players look back at the film and the work that they did on it. Very interesting and well worth watching to hear everyone's contributions.



The two other features here concentrate on the main stars of the film. Jean Reno - The Road to Leon and Natalie Portman - Starting Young both concentrate on their respective subjects and have plenty of interest to say about them.

There's also a trailer for the film.

Conclusion

A brilliant film finally gets a worthy DVD release in the UK. We can stop moaning about having a poor version of this title now, and enjoy watching the film again.



And it really is a great film. It builds up nicely, introducing you to the main characters and then weaving an interesting story around them. Yes, there are moments when you have to stop yourself from saying "err, hang on, that would never..." but there's so much that's good, you forgive these little indiscretions. Leon is probably the most likeable hitman we've ever seen on screen, and you'll be rooting for the hired killer all the way. If you need some form of unpleasant villain, call Gary Oldman and he'll turn up and do the business, as he does here. And this was the breakthrough film for Natalie Portman (probably still known to most for her Queen Amidala playing alongside Hayden Christensen's portrayal of a piece of wood in Star Wars episodes 2 and 3) And she is brilliant at such a young age in this film. And this film is not just about booms and bangs (although there are plenty of those), it's about a tense relationship between a hitman and a young girl. It's all the extra layers that elevate it above the level of the mindless action film.

A great film gets a good DVD at last. Recommended.