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Re: Leon- The Professional
Just watched the director's cut of this film. Fucking amazing. This has been one of my favorite films since first watching it back in the mid 90's, but I had never watched the definitive version. Hell, I always thought us americans were getting the normal version. Of course not. We got a version with about a half hour missing. Fucking bullshit. Hard to believe this film has been out for 14 years and I just now got around to seeing it how it was supposed to be watched.
I see why shit was edited, as the Leon-Matilda friendship is walking a fine line. However, the bastardized american version makes it worse. Its too open to interpretation because so many of their scenes are edited out. It makes you see things that really aren't there. The real version leaves no doubt that while Leon does love her, its not in a sexual way. The american version implies that he might have those types of feelings. So while the censor hounds were trying to shield us from such thoughts, they made it worse by removing scenes.
The restaurant scene? Not in america. Matilda's first "hit"? Not in america. The various hits that follow? Not in america. Various other scenes with Leon and Matilda? Not in america. No wonder Natalie Portman, Jean Reno, and Luc Besson had no chance at Oscars with this film. Half their scenes were edited out for american consumption.
What a disgrace.
This film has always been a masterpiece, but this director's cut takes it to a new level. This unedited version should have been released here in 1994. You get a much better understanding of the connection between Leon and Matilda.
Even though this was Natalie Portman's first role, she will have major difficulty ever topping this performance. She should have at least been nominated for an Oscar.
It might cheapen the film, but since Portman is older and Danny Aeillo is still alive, Luc Besson should consider a sequel with Portman as the 'cleaner'.
- BrokenGlassNCigs
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Re: Leon- The Professional
I haven't seen this version you speak of, so I guess you weren't in the minority. I've seen the American standard version and I love it. It's one of the best films of 1994, overly destroying Forrest Gump and Shawshank, but falls short against Pulp Fiction.
Jean Reno and Natalie Portman should've been locks for nominations, tbh.
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