Review: Leon 4K UHD

4K UHD Blu-ray: Leon (1994)

Sigh. Yet another film I love but really do not want to talk about because it’s either a 20 page essay or  – do I ignore the obvious paedophilic content, of which there is a LOT. You just can’t separate it, especially in the directors cut. Luc Besson met his then wife when she was 12, married her at 16 because she was pregnant. He has a ‘history’ of this sort of thing.

Léon (Jean Reno), is a childlike/neurodiverse? professional hitman who very reluctantly takes in 12 yr old Mathilda (Natalie Portman) after her family is murdered by corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield (an unhinged Gary Oldman).

Mathilda wants Leon to teach her to ‘clean’ to avenge her parents murder, she also ‘loves him’.

This is a really entertaining ultra-violent film. Portman is plain amazing in the role of Mathilda as is Reno as Leon. But you just can’t get past their relationship, and I’m too scared to say – it sort of fits, and is ‘natural’, because it’s WRONG.

So how do we watch a film like this? I suppose you have to switch your brain off and not think about it. But Leon wouldn’t be Leon without their relationship.

I give up! For the first time I have no idea how to write about this other than say it’s a great film and looks great in this 4K UHD release. Does that make me a bad person?

LEON: THE DEFINITIVE EDITION features the director’s cut and the theatrical cut of Luc Besson’s seminal ‘90s action-thriller together in striking 4K UHD for the first time. 

 Extras:

– Theatrical and Director’s cuts in 4K UHD

– Interview with André Labbouz, technical director at Gaumont

– Interview with Thierry Arbogast, cinematographer

– Interview with Sylvie Landra, film editor

– Interview with Alain Kruger, journalist

Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Studiocanal via Fetch Publicity.