LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL (1994) 4K UHD Blu-ray Review

Luc Besson's 1994 thriller starring Jean Reno, Natalie Portman and Gary Oldman. Image aspect ratio is 'Scope 2.40:1 approximately. Sound has been re-worked into Dolby Atmos for the UHD disc but the Blu-ray in this pack is DTS 7.1. The running time is 2 hours 12 minutes and 42 seconds. This means it is not the theatrical version of the film we saw here in the UK. France had a 2 hours and 16 minute version. I do not like this 'Director's Cut' - as far as I'm concerned it ruins a very good film. The original 1 hour 50 minute version is not included on the UHD in this pack so it is only available on the comparatively poor (too red) standard Blu-ray. I'm told the original theatrical version is included on the UHD disc in the Zone 1 USA 4K UHD release. If you can't get hold of that then my recommendation is the earlier standard Blu-ray release which has the original version available via the extras menu and the image quality on that Blu-ray is superior to that offered by the new standard Blu-ray in the 4K UHD pack. Sound on the older Blu-ray is DTS 5.1 or the original Dolby Stereo sound via the Setup menu. Glimpses of the film on screen are for illustrative purposes only.