Playing theatrically in the U.S. trimmed of twenty-four minutes, Luc Besson’s Leon: the Professional has been released in its uncut international version on DVD from Columbia/Tri-Star.

Jean Reno (who had previously worked with Besson on La Femme Nikita and Le Dernier Combat) plays Leon, a lonely hired killer who works out of New York City. A master at his trade, Leon is one of the best due to his uncanny ability to just blend in and not draw any attention to himself. When the man who lives next door to him gets involved in a drug deal gone wrong, the man’s family ends up dead – all except for his twelve year old daughter, Matilida (Natalie Portman of Star Wars and Mars Attacks), who carefully leaves the scene and rings Leon’s doorbell. He lets her in with some reluctance, effectively saving her life as he does so.

With no one else to turn to, Matilida worms her way into Leon’s life and ends up staying with him, hoping that he’ll train her to become a ‘cleaner’ so that she can get revenge on the drug dealers who killer her family, her baby brother specifically. As the two develop a strange, almost symbiotic relationship together, Matilida tracks down the killers and tries to take them down and Leon is left with no choice but to help her or let her walk to her own death. All the while, a drug addicted cop named Agent Stansfield (played brilliantly by Gary Oldman of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Hannibal) with certain unethical ties to the underworld wants to get rid of the only eye-witness to the murder - Matilida.

Very well directed with some excellent and, at times, very moving cinematography, Leon: The Professional is one of the finest action films ever made. Besson’s camera takes the viewer into the middle of Leon and Matilda, who are able to fill a void in each other’s lives that no one else could. Along the way, Matilda teaches the stone-cold Leon how to feel and helps him get in touch with his paternal side, while he’s able to supply her with the revenge she so desperately craves for the death of her family.

In addition to Besson’s stellar direction, the performances from the three leads are also very impressive. Jean Reno is sympathetic and likeable despite the fact that he is a hired killer, and Natalie Portman is far better here than you’d guess if you’ve only seen her in the Star Wars films (where she’s absolutely awful). But the highlight of the film’s cast is hands down Gary Oldman, who steals the show as the psychotic cop who shows nothing but contempt for everyone but himself. He’s a total swine, and you can’t help but hate him by the end of the film.

Certain scenes were removed from the film for its North American release that were deemed too politically incorrect, including some footage of Portman’s character asking Leon to have sex wit her (he declines), Matilda and Leon sleeping together in the same bed, a scene of Matilda playing Russian roulette with a loaded pistol, and other less sanitized moments. Unfortunately, a lot of character development and valuable background information integral to the story is lost as well. Luckily, with this release, North American audiences are able to see the film in its entirety the way the director intended.

Nicely shot with some great sets, solid performances and beautiful cinematography, Leon: The Professional effectively mixes the action and drama genres into one beautiful and engrossing package and comes highly recommended.