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.
