Rating: 
Summary: Just watch it
Review: Fantastic movie...must see.
Rating:
Summary: The best milk drama ever filmed . . .
Review: This DVD retells the classic story of a man. But this was no ordinary man. This man, known only as Leon, liked milk. He liked it so much he drank it for breakfast. He drank it for lunch. He drank it for dinner. He was obsessed with milk. Adored by fans around the world, this milk drama made people cry, laugh, and become suddenly thirsty. There is also a subplot in the film which involves Leon taking in an orphaned girl whose family was killed by corrupt DEA officers and ends up training her in his profession as an assassin so she can take revenge on the rogue cops. Also, Leon ends up getting the girl to drink milk. She didn't like milk early on, but ended up drinking ALOT of it. She drank it for breakfast. She drank it for lunch. She drank it for dinner. They drank milk together, and sometimes, just sometimes, they would drink milk by themselves!Included in the DVD are 24 added minutes of milk drinking scenes that where deemed too strong for American audiences. Also included are trailers form the director's other films, including one of some guy that liked swimming, and another one of a woman who liked camera close-ups. But the best, of course, is the one of our milk-drinking hero. Although the Dolby Digital audio track isn't all that good, you can still here the high quality milk slurping in Dolby Surround. Assassin and corrupt DEA officer fans will enjoy this DVD. But for the rest of us who just like milk, we know what the film is truly all about.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Film: Even Better Than the Original US Version
Review: I have always considered "The Professional" to be a modern classic. It is a relatively fresh story (a true rarity) that is well cast, well directed, and well acted. At its heart, this is a action-themed dark love story about two people who (for very different reasons)who might at first glance seem incapable of love, yet are. Jean Reno and Natalie Portman are both fabulously convincing, and Gary Oldman turns in a captivating performance as well. Director Luc Besson has created characters that we can admire (or despise, as the case may be), and are much more easily understood in this longer version. The edited US version leaves out some important, though slightly uncomfortable scenes, that truly further both the story and the characters. I recommend this movie, especially this version.
Rating:
Summary: I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW AMAZINGLY GOOD THIS MOVIE WAS
Review: I RECENTLY WATCHED THIS FILM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL YEARS AND WAS QUICKLY RE-IMPRESSED WITH THE ENTIRE OVER-THE-TOP PERFROMANCE OF GARY OLDMAN'S CROOKED DEA AGENT AND JEAN RENO'S QUIET, YET EFFICIENT, CLEANER. THIS DOESN'T EVEN MENTION NATALIE PORTMAN'S FIRST CINEMATIC APPEARANCE- A ROLE THAT CAUSED A FRIEND TO REMARK SEVERAL YEARS AGO- WHEN I SAW THE MOVIE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HONG KONG- THAT SHE HAD A WONDERFUL CAREER AHEAD OF HER. I THINK SOME OF THE BEST PARTS OF THE MOVIE WERE THE UNRELEASED SCENES WHERE LEON IS TEACHING MATHILDA HOW TO BE A CLEANER- ESPECIALLY THE HILARIOUS "FIRST HIT" WHICH LEAVES THE BEWILDERED "CLIENT" GAPING IN CONFUSION AND HAD ME IN STITCHES. IF YOU HAVE EVER SEEN "LA FEMME NIKITA" AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW THE "CLEANER" IN THAT FILM SHOULD HAVE BEEN, OR IF YOU JUST LIKE MOVIES THAT HAVE EXCELLENT STORY-TELLING AND CHARACTERS THAT ARE BELEIVABLE THEN YOU SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY PURCHASE THIS FILM.
Rating:
Summary: One true definitive version
Review: A brilliant movie as released in the cinema, improved and expanded with footage that should have been there all along. Unfortunately it was the type of thing that makes the movie industry nervous and the general public uncomfortable so it was removed. I hope we will see many action movies of this calibre coming out of Hollywood in the future.
Rating:
Summary: LEON is a remarkable improvement upon the US version
Review: Having just finished viewing this DVD for the first time, I am so happy I went against my gut and bought this unseen as I never particularly cared for THE PROFESSIONAL, which I would give a three-star rating.
The story of a hitman and his child protege is far more compelling in this "director's cut" incarnation as it thoroughly explores what was painfully absent in the US cut; the growing relationship between a hard-boiled, cold-blooded killer and a young girl. Whereas the two were simply thrown together and started a working relationship, the US cut never explored the more realistic questions such a relationship would raise, specifically the confused sexual attraction the child would feel for Leon (and vice-versa). Having viewed the uncut version, Leon and Matilda's final "I love you" means so much more and transforms this from a good film into a magnificent film. Also compelling in this version is Matilda's training as a cleaner, wholly absent from the US cut and leaving the viewer unsatisfied as this in particular seemed to be the whole point of the US cut of the film.
The story in general remains the same, however, and is largely satisfying. The action does slow considerably, especially during some of the added "relationship" footage, so viewers expecting nothing other than a thrill ride may become bored. Keeping in mind that the main story is the relationship and the action merely secondary, LEON succeeds remarkably.
Jean Reno is marvelous, as usual, and was born to play this kind of role. Natalie Portman shows promise that has since been realized in later roles, though some of her character's dialogue is too mature, even for a street-hardened child. Gary Oldman is maniacal as the villain, but one feels that he is straining to pull off his best Christopher Walken impression. Beeson's direction is the finest in his ouevre, comparable to BIG BLUE and surpassing similar films like LA FEMME NIKITA.
In summary, I would give LEON four stars out of five compared to all films in general, but its vast improvement over the US cut merits five stars or beyond. It's a pity the DVD does not provide a director's commentary track, but the bonus footage more than compensates for the lack of special features. A real must-own.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This DVD is purely awesome. I loved the movie in its original US version, and the DVD helped tie a few loose knots. Now that I've seen it this way, I wish they had originally kept in the missing minutes in the US version.
Rating:
Summary: BEST MOVIE EVER!
Review: This is without a doubt my favorite movie. This movie has everything I look for.... Great actors, High action, complex relationships and an overall dark atmosphere... A must see for any Luc Besson, Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, or Gary Oldman fan... With extra footage that was previously only availible in various bootleg formats, this is a movie you MUST own!
Rating:
Summary: What a touching movie
Review: What a way of capturing all the most obvious movie scenarious in one. Sometimes we need a childs point of view in life and show us the real meaning what love and what it is all about. Children stay children and even adults can become children, but they loose their sence of innocence. That is what makes this movie so touching is the fact that the love for Matilda was unconditional and the feeling was mutual. He was willing to take his own life to give Matilda hers. I would advise anyone who is anyone to watch this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Even Luc Besson Gone Hollywood is still Good
Review: It had to happen eventually, when a film director goes big in his native land, eventually hollywood snatches him up, but some foreign directors do manage to make fascinating work within the system.
besson could've made this movie cutesy with natalie portman's character, matilda, but he keeps her honest as a child of the street. some viewers will be put off by her stream of obscenities, but were you expecting little red riding hood? jean reno is a hitman with a heart, leon, who comes to matilda's aid after her family has been murdered by DEA agents in a drug raid. she only hires leon to avenge her brother's death, not the rest of her family... i wont give away the rest of the story, but the action is ruthless,i have been to new york city about half a dozen times, and besson captures it perfectly on film, reno gives a good solid performance: check out his work in ronin, where he plays a strong second bananna beside deniro gary oldman's role as the demented loose cannon dea agent is a scene stealer...every time he came onscreen, you just hateed him, which make reno's character, move likeable..
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