Léon Blu-ray

Léon

 (1994)

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller



A corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration boss and his thugs murder Matilda's family in a drug deal gone awry. Orphaned by the massacre, Matilda is forced to take shelter in the apartment of a neighbor, Léon, whom she knows only slightly. He's a loner and first generation immigrant, who also happens to be a professional hitman. He's never had reason to care about anybody and she has no one else to turn to. Together they form a makeshift bond that will forever change both their lives.

For more details about Léon on Blu-ray, see the Léon Blu-ray Review

Léon Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luc Besson’s Leon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Kinowelt.

This is the first Kinowelt BD to reach my desk and I am fairly impressed with it – a nice metal case with soft matte-coating, and a stylish holder with an undercover, is what holds the actual BD.

What about the transfer? First of all, I must make it clear that this isn’t a newly-restored print of Leon. I noticed a few flecks here and there (most of them appear in the opening 10-15 minutes) but wasn’t disturbed by their presence. On the contrary, I found the print to be strikingly superior to previous DVD transfers in a number of different areas. The color-scheme in particular is very pleasing – yellows, blues, reds, and blacks are all natural looking and strong. In fact, blown through a digital projector the colors remain solid and do not break down as witnessed on the latest R1 SDVD release (black cover). Contrast and clarity are also notably better. The daylight scenes from New York City are vivid, detailed, and exceptionally strong-looking. Furthermore, I also did not detect any traces of DNR manipulation - Leon has a natural film-like look, which I am convinced will please those of you who have gone through a number of different SDVD releases of this film. This being said, there are two areas of this presentation that could have been bettered. First, there is a little bit of video noise which I was able to spot during some of the indoor scenes (the more notable ones appear after Jean Reno and Natalie Portman move into the hotel). Second, I also see a bit of contrast boosting. It is barely noticeable and most of you will probably not even see it, but it is certainly there. Aside from that, the rest of the print appears to be intact. Finally, I wish to also clarify that Kinowelt have supplied both versions of Leon - the Theatrical Cut (110 min) and the Director’s Cut (133 min). (Note: This is a Region-B “locked” Blu-ray disc which you won’t be able to playback on your Region-A PS3 or SA. You will have to use a native Region-B or Region-Free machine in order to playback its content).

Léon Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: German DTS-HD HR 7.1 mix and English DTS-HD HR 7.1 mix. I don’t believe there were any compromises here - the English DTS-HD HR 7.1 track is simply top notch. Leon’s “sliding” bullets are very effective and truly something that needs to be heard. The final scene in the hotel is particularly impressive as the amount of activity in the rear channels, as well as the thumping bass, really add a lot more to Leon that I have not previously heard (I actually do have the old R1 superbit release as well so it was fairly easy for me to play around a bit and compare what this DTS-HD HR mix adds up). For the record, I did not detect any hissing, pops, or cracks. I also switched to the German dub a few times but, suffice to say, it is not something an English-speaker would find worthy (surely there are more than a few German speakers that would please to hear it). Optional German subtitles are provided for the main feature – they are split between the film frame and the lower black bar.

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