Rating: 
Summary: DD 5.1 WARNING
Review: I love this movie and own both The Professional and Leon - The Professional (Uncut International Version) on DVD. In comparison, the added 24 minutes was well worth it. Only one problem with the DVD uncut version. The rear speakers when using DD 5.1 is muted or close to non-existent. The Dolby Pro-logic works fine though. The 1st DVD "The Professional" Cut version actually works fine using DD 5.1.Many other people on forums and newsgroups have reported this and is most likely an error during the mastering of the DVD. Other than the sound problem on the uncut version, it's a great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELENTE PELICULA, LA MEJOR!
Review: Hace mucho tiempo que venia esperando una version americana de esta excelente pelicula, para mi una de las mejores peliculas que he visto en mi vida, las caracterizaciones muy buenas y la historia tambien, pensar que al ver EL PROFESIONAL (version americana cortada) me impresiono, imanigense cuando me entere que existia uan version con 24 minutos de mas!, pues simplemente me voli loco!, imaginarse que solo viaje a Francia para conseguirme una copia VHS(en formato PAL), incluido el VCR PAL y la TV PAL, solo para poder ver esta pelicula completa, luego cuando la encontre en un catalogo japones de DVDs , pues me la compre de inmediato incluyendo una maquina MULTIZONA para poder cer el DVD que estaba en formato zona 2, no se que mas pueda decir sobre esta pelicula que ya no se haya dicho , alos fans les recomiendo que se compren el CD con la musica (lo venden aqui en AMAZON!), y tambien que si pueden se consigan una version que incluya 30 minutos mas con los detras de camaras en la filmacion! (yo lo tengo en VERSION PAL) una pena que no haya sido incluido en esta edicion pero bueno, algo es algo y tambien los subtitulos en español para que mi madre pudiera apreciarla. LUC BESSON continua con tu excelente trabajo, no pierdas tu estilo,siempre guiate por tu corazon y no por las palabras de los productores. Y principalmente GRACIAS por esta pelicula
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: A fan of the original U.S. release, I made The Professional one of only a very few videos I actually chose to own rather than simply rent. I still have that U.S. widescreen VHS. And now I just picked up the long-awaited U.S. DVD debut of Leon: The Professional. The quality of the transfer is among the best seen on DVD. The sound is also of exceptional caliber. Even more impressive is the fact that one can optionally isolate the excellent soundtrack for listening sans dialogue and other audio effects. And then we have the extra 24 minutes. I do not doubt that it was wise to excise most of these scenes from theatrical release (especially the Russian roulette bit) in the U.S. market. The movie works well enough without them. But these extra scenes--intended for viewing by at least nominally sophisticated adults--are mostly powerful, intriguing, and add much to what is in essence a character study/love story. And you see both main leads--Reno and Portman--commit to their best acting only in these scenes! A real gem. Note that the extra 24 minutes occurs fairly "cleanly" in two sections, which I can highlight (email) by timeframe on the DVD for those who have not seen the original U.S. version.
Rating:
Summary: Three Stars Collide
Review: Despite repeated viewing of this movie I cannot fully determine why it works so well when compared against dozens of similar works released each year. I suspect that, unlike many of his American counterparts, Luc Besson developes the characterisation of the leading players without lapsing into the schmaltzy sentimentality that often ruins many potentially great competitive titles. Jean Reno excels as a functionally illiterate hitman lumbered with the custodianship of newcomer Natalie Portman whose character - despite her age - possess all the wily street smarts of a native New Yorker many years her senior. Gary Oldman is, well, Gary Oldman. His drug influenced behaviour stole the show for me. One really never knew how he was going to respond in any situation and, as such, came across as a truly frightening personality. It seems that Besson has successfully sneaked into the back yard of America to produce, with a distinctly European style, a standout movie that has traditionally been the prserve of Hollywood. And has done it better!
Rating:
Summary: International Version vs. Domestic Version
Review: I rented the American release of The Professional a few years ago and I loved it. But the international version is so much better because it has scenes which explains why Leon is a professional and fills in many details left out in the American release. I just dont understand why the American release was cut the way it was but the International Version is definitely the better of the two.
Rating:
Summary: yes!!!
Review: i, too, saw & fell in love with the american version. i bought it vhs & dvd and now, i own the director's cut. oh yes! much much better!! fuller, much more rounded out. the subject material that was cut is more risqué, yes, but worth it. natalie portman gives an incredible performance, as does Mr. Reno, and Mr. Oldman is spectacular as always. you just can't take your eyes away when oldman is onscreen. this film takes an american action formula and pumps it up with euro emotion, daring, and bravado. the extra footage may dance dangerously close to taboo (here in america) but you have to credit director luc besson in going for it. particularly enjoyable is the dinner scene where mathilda professes her "love" for leon and gets drunk. let's see MORE european/director's cuts of these great films!
Rating:
Summary: Great movie. Wonderful performances.
Review: Jean Reno plays Leon, a hitman. Coldly efficient, cunning and extremely deadly. The movie begins with Leon performing a hit, killing without remorse and then going home. Leon leads a simple life, although he gets $5000/head, he leaves this money in the trust of his friend and employer Tony(Danny Aiello). He seems to live on two quarts of milk a day, sleeps sitting up, stays in a small flat, and exercises rigorously. His only companion is his plant, which he cares for meticulously. He has fallen into a comfortable routine and is at peace with himself. That all changes one day, when crooked DEA agents led by the supremely evil Stansfield(Gary Oldman in a waaay over the top performance) storm his next door neighbor's apartment in search of drugs. They slaughter everyone who lives there, save the tiny, 12 year old Mathilda(Natalie Portman in a heart rending performance). She slips by the DEA agents and goes to Leon for help. Against his better judgement, Leon takes her in and this is where the real movie begins. The relationship between the cold, remorseless killer and the little girl who has aged beyond her years. Leon teaches her the "Cleaning" business and Mathilda shows Leon how to live again. Early in the film Mathilda asks Leon "Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid?" and Leon coldly replies, "Always like this." We get the sense that Leon knows what he is talking about, that his life has taken so many wrong turns, that now he cares for nothing. Jean Reno is a revelation. I had previously only seen him in Ronin, and while I thought he was acceptable in that movie, his performance here goes leagues beyond what he did in that film. His Leon is portrayed as a calm, ruthless but also nervous and emotionally insecure assassin. In Natalie Portman, I am reminded of a very young Milla Jovovich, but perhaps that is because of foreknowledge of director Luc Bessons fondness for Ms. Jovovich. Natalie Portman gives an assured performance that is remarkable for one so young. Everything else I've seen her in, it appears her talents are wasted. (It is actually making me look forward to the next Star Wars movie). Gary Oldman's characterisation of Stansfield is so out of this world that it seems very out of place in this picture. Danny Aiello gives strong, stable support(as always). This is Luc Besson's strongest work out of the ones that I have seen (Fifth Element and the Messenger). I think his use of color, his compositions and stylization are great, but that sometimes he does not take the time or takes to get the elements and the performance just right. Hopefully he will continue to mature as a director. But these are minor quibbles and do not affect the overall impact of the film. I highly recommend this movie. ****/***** cheers, James
Rating:
Summary: Excellent action!
Review: I bought Leon without actually ever seeing this movie, mainly based on the fact that Luc Besson made made one of my alltime favorite movies, Fifth Element. This directors cut had 24 minutes of additional footage from the North American release, and me, not having seen that couldn't tell what was actually added. I imagine it was some of the taboo scenes which other reviewers have noted. The reason I gave it four stars was because there were a few scenes in this movie that I really lost interest, but the action sequences near the end really made the movie worth while to me. I would suggest to rent this first if you have never seen it just to make sure its your kind of film, but don't get me wrong, I do like this movie and am glad that I bought it, I just wish I had the original release to compare it to, to make a better review of this movie.
Rating:
Summary: The international version is impressive
Review: I had always liked "the professional", though I thought that the american vesion was a little hollow with a disturbing underlying quality to it. After seeing the international version, I can hardly see Columbia Pictures' justification for dumbing it down for american audiences (I can understand it, but it was a very unnecessary tampering). While the american cut is "ok", the full cut is just excellent. The extra 24 minutes does quite a lot for the development of the characters and their relationship. Definitely a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: Uncut International Version
Review: First let me say I loved the American version of this film. The extra 24 minutes are mostly a series of scenes where Matilda and Leon kill various drug dealers, about 20 minutes worth of time. The remaining time is taken up in scenes where the sexual tension between the two is more emphasized. One scene in particular where Matilda asks Leon to sleep with her is included. I can see why this didn't work for an American audience. The American version kept the relationship more on a father/daughter role then does the International version. Overall, I'd say that if you already have the American version on DVD I wouldn't bother with this version. The 24 minutes doesn't add much value to this film and changes the feel of the film a bit, in the negative in my opinion. There are no special features that add any value either.
| 
