Customer Reviews (2)

He has gotta be a genius
How well has Mr. Gary Oldman depicted the usual day to day life of many families in South London. It is such an honest and truthful account, a real eye opener to the many who have no inkling about how hard and horrendous life for the working class in London can be. And how we just manage to get by and through, accepting the way things are. It is just an absolutley beautiful book, so very moving.

Raw, Honest, and Real
Raw, honest and bravely realistic. Sometimes the truth is tough to take and squeamish people will shy away from it. Mr. Oldman unflinchingly tellshis mesmerizing, gritty tale of working class life in London in the bestway he knows from his own experiences living there, the book is written inscreenplay format and is an excellent companion to the movie. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Great ART book
Too many movie 'art of' book either show silly color studies, or too many scenes from the actual movie itself (I'm talkin' to you pixar). This book shows the amazing artistry that went into making the film with a thorough display of pencil sketches and digital 'paintings'. The movie was so-so, but I loved that design that went into the world itself, and that quality is exemplified by this book. Highly recommended for any CG animation or 50's era monster art fans. Lots of good stuff.

Lots of character designs and beautiful background paintings
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1I9BVNS0UU0Y The cover art is slightly different from the original product image. The fat alien is replaced with Lem, the main character of the movie.

This book is published by Insight Editions but doesn't come with any of special enhancement (e.g. pullouts, cards) you sometimes see with their other books.

Planet 51 is the other animated movie this year featuring aliens, the other being Monsters vs Aliens. The cast is of course different, and the set is not on Earth but on Planet 51. Planet 51 is the debut film of Madrid-based Ilion Animation. The concept artists, based off the names in the captions, seem to be all from Spain. The whole film was produced entirely in Spain.

There are more than 400 pieces of concept art in this book. Each character comes with lots of sketches. The background paintings are very beautiful and scenic. There are also many alien set and prop designs. It's like looking at a parallel universe where everything looks familiar but different. The aliens have their own version of the famous Flatiron building in Manhattan, suburbia, Area 51, vehicles, utensils, etc.

My favourites are the background and set paintings, some of which are very detailed. This book has top notch art work and variety. There are short commentary on the art and concept.

It's a visually delightful book, highly recommended to character designers and animation lovers.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.) ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robert Pattinson, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Thompson, John Cleese, Tom Felton, Maggie Smith, Liste D'acteurs et Actrices Mineurs Des Films Harry Potter, Brendan Gleeson, Kenneth Branagh, Rade Šerbedžija, Jason Isaacs, Michael Gambon, Evanna Lynch, Clémence Poésy, Richard Harris, John Hurt, Robbie Coltrane, Jim Broadbent, David Tennant, Timothy Spall, Rupert Grint, Warwick Davis, Miriam Margolyes, David Thewlis, Bonnie Wright, Katie Leung, Tiana Benjamin, Julie Christie, Jarvis Cocker, Imelda Staunton, Julie Walters, Jonny Greenwood, Richard Griffiths, Miranda Richardson, Pam Ferris, James et Oliver Phelps, Matthew Lewis, Eric Sykes, Robert Hardy, Gemma Jones, Lenny Henry, Christian Coulson, Dave Legeno, David Bradley, Fiona Shaw, Geraldine Somerville, Frances de La Tour, Devon Murray, Shirley Henderson, Richard Bremmer, Roger Lloyd Pack, Lee Ingleby, Mark Williams, Natalia Tena, Zoë Wanamaker, Phil Selway, Jessica Stevenson, Leslie Phillips, Jamie Waylett, Toby Jones, Harry Melling, Jimmy Gardner, William Melling, Shefali Chowdhury, Stanislav Ianevski, Helen Mccrory, Ian Hart, Tolga Safer, Adrian Rawlins, George Harris, Angelica Mandy, Chris Rankin, Dawn French, Ralph Ineson, Joshua Herdman, Predrag Bjelac, Sean Biggerstaff, James Walters, Alfred Enoch, Jeff Rawle, Kathryn Hunter, Robbie Jarvis, Robert Knox, Jim Mcmanus, Richard Leaf, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Sian Thomas, Jessie Cave, Jason Piper, Tony Maudsley, Michael Wildman, Edward Tudor-Pole, Robert Wilfort, Suzanne Toase, Susie Shinner, Johnpaul Castrianni, Hugh Mitchell, Apple Brook, Freddie Stroma, Ray Fearon, Scarlett Byrne, Amelda Brown. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrai...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Charlie Chaplin, Tom Stoppard, Gary Oldman, Stephen Fry, Laurence Olivier, Tom Ricketts, Hugh Laurie, Eric Idle, Powell et Pressburger, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, Michael Powell, Terence Rattigan, Maurice Elvey, Ken Russell, Miles Mander, Robert Morley, Emma Thompson, Basil Dean, Clive Barker, Herbert Brenon, Frank Wilson, Ben Elton, Charles Kent, John Van Druten, Henry Edwards, Sidney Gilliat, John Boorman, Steve Coogan, Frank Launder, Leo Marks, Ian Mcewan, Cecil Hepworth, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Schlesinger, Roy Ward Baker, Lionel Jeffries, Joseph Merhi, Carol Reed, Roy Boulting, H.b. Parkinson, Howard Brenton, Bannister Merwin, Robert Stevenson, Edward Sloman, Basil Dearden, Leslie Norman, Al Herman, David Winters, George Albert Smith, John W. Dunn, Ricky Gervais, Ronald Colman, Alan Parker, Kevin Mcnally, Reginald Owen, Richard Curtis, Herbert Blaché, Alan Bennett, Paul Greengrass, Hay Plum, Alan Young, Derek Jarman, John Longden, Kevin Macdonald, Paul W. S. Anderson, Charles Dance, John Boulting, Freddie Francis, W.p. Kellino, Edgar Wallace, Steven Berkoff, Terry Jones, John Gilling, Edgar Wright, Leslie Arliss, Lewis Gilbert, Robert Day, Eugene Lipinski, Mike Myers, Frankie Howerd, Tracy R. West, J. Lee Thompson, Don Sharp, Roy Dotrice, Kevin Connor, Andrew Davies, Robert Pugh, Adam Curtis, Ian Ogilvy, Charles Crichton, Elinor Glyn, Waris Hussein, Ronald Neame, Tom Walls, Eric Ambler, Sinclair Hill, John Paddy Carstairs, James Clavell, Leslie S. Hiscott, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Emlyn Williams, Bernard Knowles, John Baxter, Simon Maccorkindale, Guy Green, Harry Enfield, Val Guest, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Bill Travers, Kathy Burke, Jake West, Michael Winterbottom, Gabrielle Beaumont, Clive Exton, Richard Ey...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Chapters: Alumni of Rose Bruford College, Tom Baker, Gary Oldman, Gillian Kearney, Hugh Allison, Pam St. Clement, Kate Ashfield, Ray Fearon, Harriett Gilbert, Trevor Rhone, Barbara Kellerman, Freddie Jones, Lake Bell, Ron Cook, Rebecca Night, Myfanwy Waring, Alex Lovell, Denis Bond, Chris Harris (Actor, Director and Writer), Phil Hiett, Jacqueline Tong, Janet Dibley, Brian Mccardie, Cathy Shipton, Malcolm Hebden, Jennifer James, Greg Hicks, Robert Pugh, Thomas Nelstrop, Clive Merrison, Simone James, Judy Buxton, Lloyd Stephens, Rory Macgregor, Lena Kaur, Michele Austin, Yvonne Brewster, Sophie Langham, Roy Williams, Polly Irvin, Elaine Glover, Iona Mcleish, Peter Bramley, David Crellin, Michelle Joseph, Rebecca Loudonsack, Kerry Godliman. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 164. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker, well-known to audiences for his portrayals of dark and morally ambiguous characters. Oldman came to prominence in roles such as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy, Jackie Flannery in State of Grace and Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK, which led to his most successful, and arguably best known, leading role as Count Dracula in the 1992 blockbuster Dracula. Following the success of Dracula, he was cast as the villain of a number of popular films, including True Romance, Léon, Murder in the First, Air Force One, The Fifth Element, The Contender, Hannibal and The Book of Eli, frequently in starring roles. He is also known for his portrayals of real-life figures: along with Vicious and Oswald, he portrayed Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears, Ludwig Van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved and Pontius Pilate in Jesus. In recent years he is recognisable as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film series and James Gordon in Christopher N...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=213163 ... Read more

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Chapters: Tom Baker, Gary Oldman, Gillian Kearney, Pam St. Clement, Kate Ashfield, Ray Fearon, Harriett Gilbert, Trevor Rhone, Barbara Kellerman, Freddie Jones, Lake Bell, Ron Cook, Rebecca Night, Myfanwy Waring, Alex Lovell, Denis Bond, Chris Harris (Actor, Director and Writer), Phil Hiett, Jacqueline Tong, Janet Dibley, Brian Mccardie, Cathy Shipton, Malcolm Hebden, Jennifer James, Greg Hicks, Robert Pugh, Thomas Nelstrop, Clive Merrison, Simone James, Judy Buxton, Lloyd Stephens, Rory Macgregor, Lena Kaur, Michele Austin, Yvonne Brewster, Sophie Langham, Roy Williams, Elaine Glover, David Crellin, Michelle Joseph, Rebecca Loudonsack, Kerry Godliman. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 157. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Well-known to audiences for his portrayals of dark and morally ambiguous characters, he came to prominence in roles such as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy, Jackie Flannery in State of Grace and Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK, which led to his most successful, and arguably best known, leading role as Count Dracula in the 1992 blockbuster Dracula. Following the success of Dracula, he was cast as the villain of a number of popular films, including True Romance, Léon, Murder in the First, Air Force One, The Fifth Element, The Contender and The Book of Eli, frequently in starring roles. He is also known for his portrayals of real-life figures: as well as Vicious and Oswald, he portrayed Joe Orton in Prick Up Your Ears, Ludwig Van Beethoven in Immortal Beloved and Pontius Pilate in Jesus. In recent years he is recognisable as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film series and James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's reboot of the Batman film series. Oldman has received acclaim for his diverse on-screen perform...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=213163 ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, Christopher Nolan, Gary Oldman, Ridley Scott, Stephen Fry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Herbert Rawlinson, David Hemmings, Ringo Starr, Hugh Laurie, Donald Crisp, Roddy Mcdowall, Ray Milland, William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, Maurice Elvey, Michael Balcon, Ken Russell, Miles Mander, Guy Ritchie, Basil Dean, Michael Apted, Robert Douglas, John Mills, Tony Scott, Noël Coward, Herbert Brenon, Jack Hawkins, Peter Macdonald, Charles Kent, Henry Edwards, Sidney Gilliat, Alexander Korda, Peter Lawford, John Boorman, Karel Reisz, Stephen Frears, Frank Launder, John Fryer, Alfred Molina, Brian Donlevy, Tilda Swinton, Cecil Hepworth, Mike Newell, Roy Ward Baker, Joseph Merhi, Carol Reed, Roy Boulting, H.b. Parkinson, Ian Mcshane, Leslie Goodwins, Robert Stevenson, Edward Sloman, Basil Dearden, Leslie Norman, David Winters, George Albert Smith, Nigel Hawthorne, Wilfred Noy, Ricky Gervais, Danny Boyle, Cary Elwes, Alan Cumming, Andy Serkis, Robert W. Paul, Patrick Barr, Richard Curtis, Herbert Blaché, Robert Stephens, Simon Cowell, Jack Clayton, Billy Connolly, Paul Greengrass, Kevin Macdonald, Paul W. S. Anderson, John Boulting, Lewis Gilbert, Robert Day, Michael Carreras, Bernard Hepton, J. Lee Thompson, Adrian Brunel, Jack Davenport, Don Sharp, Anthony Minghella, Albert Victor Bramble, John Hannah, Kevin Connor, Leslie Fenton, Sidney Hayers, John Badham, Charles Crichton, Ronald Neame, Tom Walls, Eric Ambler, Sinclair Hill, John Paddy Carstairs, James Clavell, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Anthony Andrews, James Fox, Bernard Knowles, John Baxter, Anand Tucker, Simon Maccorkindale, Guy Green, Harry Enfield, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Bill Travers, Harry Bruce Woolfe, Dougray Scott, Jake West, Michael Winterbottom, Rich...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, Gary Oldman, the Dark Knight : le Chevalier Noir, Batman, George Clooney, Batman Begins, Christian Bale, Adam West, Michael Keaton, Batman, le Défi, Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever, Batman (Film, 1989), Batman et Robin (Film, 1997), Batman (Film, 1966), Batman Contre le Fantôme Masqué, Catwoman, Batman: Dead End, Batman: New Times. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Léonard Gary Oldman est un acteur, réalisateur, scénariste et producteur britannique, né le 21 mars 1958 à Londres. Il est particulièrement célèbre pour ses rôles de « méchants » au cinéma, tels que le Comte Dracula dans Dracula, l'adaptation de Francis Ford Coppola, Lee Harvey Oswald dans JFK d'Oliver Stone, le flic sadique et corrompu de Léon, réalisé par Luc Besson, et divers autres rôles de terroristes. Ces dernières années, il s'est tourné vers des rôles encore plus grand public, en participant entre autres aux franchises de Harry Potter (2004) et de Batman (2005). Ses interprétations ont souvent été remarquées par la critique, notamment pour son premier grand rôle au cinéma, celui de Sid Vicious, le second bassiste des , qu'il a endossé dans Sid et Nancy en 1986, performance toujours acclamée depuis. Il est réputé pour sa performance d'acteur dans l'interprétation pleine de justesse de ses personnages, pour sa capacité à changer de voix ou d'accent pour chaque rôle et pour son retrait de la scène hollywoodienne, étant souvent considéré comme un « » comme le sont entre autres Meryl Streep et Robert De Niro. En 1997, il est passé derrière la caméra pour réaliser Ne pas Avaler, un film britannique indépendant largement inspiré de sa propre enfance dans une banlieue de Londres, et présenté en compétitio...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: John Evelyn, Gary Oldman, Danny Baker, Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie, Colin Blythe, George Julian Harney, Heddle Nash, Steve Harley, William Evelyn, Percy Jack Clayson, William Beardmore, 1st Baron Invernairn, Lorraine Chase, George Mills, Ingram Frizer, Kate Sharpley, Alf Messer, Alec George Horwood, Eleanor Bull, John Bannister, John Bentley, John Addey. Excerpt:Alec George Horwood VC , DCM (6 January 1914 20 January 1944) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Details He was 30 years old, and a lieutenant in the 1/6th Battalion, The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment , British Army , attached to 1st Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 18 January 1944 at Kyauchaw, Burma (now Myanmar) , Lieutenant Horwood accompanied a company into action with his forward mortar observation post. Throughout the day he was in an exposed position and under intense fire, but he came back at night with most valuable information about the enemy. On 19 January he moved forward and established another observation post, directing accurate mortar fire in support of two attacks, and also carrying out personal reconnaissance, deliberately drawing the enemy fire so that their position could be definitely located. On 20 January he volunteered to lead the attack and while doing so was mortally wounded. References (URLs online) Websites (URLs online) A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at Alf Messer Alfred Thomas 'Alf' Messer (8 March, 1900 1947) was an English professional footballer who played for Sutton Town , Mansfield Town , Reading , Nottingham Forest , Totte... ... Read more

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The long-awaited autobiography of the guitarist, songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Ladies and gentlemen: Keith Richards.

With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the songs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock and roll life.

Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in the crossfire hurricane.Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones.The Rolling Stones's first fame and the notorious drug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero. Creating immortal riffs like the ones in "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women."His relationship with Anita Pallenberg and the death of Brian Jones.Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of the U.S., isolation and addiction.Falling in love with Patti Hansen.Estrangement from Jagger and subsequent reconciliation.Marriage, family, solo albums and Xpensive Winos, and the road that goes on forever.

With his trademark disarming honesty, Keith Richard brings us the story of a life we have all longed to know more of, unfettered, fearless, and true. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Sympathy For The Devil
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2CT595AVKWIRU If you think you can't always get what you want, you haven't read this book, because it DELIVERS!

Please don't let it end!
Absolutely exceeded all expectations- And believe me I've been waiting for this for a long time. I'm half way through and I don't want it to ever end. As a reader of over seveeral hundred rock and jazz bio's this is up there with the best of them. Like this? try Art Pepper, the Straight Life next.

Frankly ,I'm impressed
To be honest, I don't know what the reviewers who gave this book less than 3 stars were expecting. I do agree that it is a real pleasure to read if you are a Rolling Stones fan. However, if you are expecting a junkie memoir, most likely you will be disappointed. If you want to read a book that is primarily about Keith Richards drug use you should purchase "Up and Down with the Rolling Stones" written by his close friend, Spanish Tony Sanchez."Life" is about the inner workings of the Rolling Stones, the hanger-ons, his friends, and some pretty zany adventures ;butcenters primarilywith what matters most to Keith Richards, his music. For instance, before reading this book I really didn't know how or who wrote the music and lyrics. The songs were written by Jagger-Richards , what does that mean? Who did what?Was it like a Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership that fizzled out long before and was continued to fulfill contract obligations? You will have to read the book to find out. While his drug use is mentioned in the book, it did not consume it. It was part of his life and it influenced his music , the Rolling Stones and his personal life. However, this book is also about recovering from addiction. This guy was seriously strung-out on heroin and lived to tell about getting clean and getting on with his life; talk about real inspiration. He has my respect for that alone. Another thing I like is that he didn't use this book to settle old scores. In contrast, Bill Wyman's book " Stone Alone" was basically a chance to vent on how much he disliked working with Mick Jagger and his rage with other members of the band; a chance to tell the world how he really felt about working with the Rolling Stones! Keith Richards is honest but not hurtful. I enjoyed reading this book. "Life" was written with taste and honest introspection. Furthermore, I realized that I really didn't know who Keith Richards was before reading this book. There is another Keith Richards besides the junkie persona that seems to follow him wherever he goes. I enjoyed getting to know the recovered Keith Richards.

Fabulous
Bloody amazing book ! I couldn't put it down . Finally the truth about one of the most controversial characters of the twentieth century . So good in fact I have tuned my guitar to an open G in tribute to this genius !

Insightful autobigraphy of Keith Richards
A most satisfying autobiography--if one has any interest in the Rolling Stones in general and Keith Richards in particular.

The book begins with a description of the 1975 tour and with the carelessness of Richards and colleagues as they drove to the next concert in the south of the United States. I saw two concerts in Buffalo, NY during this tour, so I was intrigued by this examination of Richards' foolishness in the south. But his description of the event is disarming and a nice start to the book.

The next chapter, on his childhood in Dartford is quite poignant and even insightful, as he describes his youth. We get a sense that Richards is not just the tough hombre that many see in his public persona. We also read of his early relationship with Mick Jagger (and their later sparkiness is well described in later chapters, too).

Then, his effort at developing a career in art, his early interest in music, how he and the other Stones (including Ian Stewart and precursors to the final lineup) began, suffered, and slowly became players in the rock and roll community (the roles of Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts are told nicely).

There is certain honesty in the early chapters, including his discussion of rather innocent relationships with young female admirers, when we often think of the Rolling Stones as predators of females. . . .

And the beat goes on, as he describes the arc of his life and the career of the Rolling Stones. The ups, the downs. . . . There are some nice photos included. There is a pretty rough honesty to the book, with Richards telling things as he sees them. His comments about his relationship with Mick Jagger in the maturity of their careers are telling. One example (Page 457): "I used to love to hang out with Mick, but I haven't gone to his dressing room in, I don't think, twenty years. Sometimes, I miss my friend. Where the hell did he go?" And then the poignancy (Page 457): "". . .I can guarantee he'll be there for me, as I would for him, because that's beyond any contention."

If the reader has an interest in the band and its members, this is an honest and raw account that ends up being curiously compelling.
... Read more

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Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an Englishactor and filmmaker who has resided in the United Statessince the early 1990s, well-known for his portrayals ofdark and morally corrupt characters. He found fame in rolessuch as Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy and Lee Harvey Oswald inJFK, which led to his most successful, and arguably bestknown, leading role as Count Dracula in 1992 blockbusterDracula. In addition to Dracula, Oldman is well-known toaudiences as the villain of such films as State of Grace,True Romance, Léon, Murder in the First, Air Force One, TheFifth Element, The Contender and the upcoming The Book ofEli. He is also known for his portrayals of real-lifefigures: as well as Vicious and Oswald, he portrayed JoeOrton in Prick Up Your Ears and Ludwig Van Beethoven inImmortal Beloved. In recent years he is recognisable asheroic characters such as Sirius Black in the Harry Potterfilm series and James Gordon in Christopher Nolan's rebootof the Batman film series. Acclaimed for his on-screendiversity, Oldman has been referred to as an "actor'sactor" and has been cited as an influence by a number ofyounger actors. ... Read more

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Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) made his American directorial debut with Leon, a stylised thriller about a French hit man (Jean Reno) who takes in an American girl (Natalie Portman) being pursued by a corrupt killer cop (Gary Oldman). Oldman is a little more unhinged than he should be, but there is something genuinely irresistible about the story line and the relationship between Reno and Portman. Rather than cave in to the cookie-cutter look and feel of American action pictures, Besson brings a bit of his glossy style from French hits La Femme Nikita and Subway to the production of The Professional, and the results are refreshing even if the bullets and explosions are awfully familiar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

AN EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT THRILLER...
How can one resist a movie featuring sexy Frenchman Jean Reno, the beautiful Natalie Portman in one of her earliest roles, Gary Oldman, and Danny Aiello?

The film centers around the relationship that develops between a beautiful and precocious twelve year old girl, Mathilda (Natalie Portman), and an Italian hit man named Leon (Jean Reno). Mathilda and her family live in the same run down building as Leon and are, in fact, neighbors.

It seems that Mathilda's dad (Michael Badalucco) has run into a problem with rogue Federal Drug Enforcement Agent Stansfield (Gary Oldman) over some missing cocaine. When Stansfield and his crew gets into a shootout with dear old Dad in the family apartment, wiping out her family, Mathilda alone survives. When Stansfield realizes, however, that there were three children in the family and only two are accounted for among the dead, he knows that he has to hunt her down before she denounces him for what he is, a cold blooded, killer cop.

Mathilda turns to Leon for help in her rather precarious situation. Of the two, Leon and Mathilda, it is hard to decide who is the more innocent. Leon gets his hit contracts through an intermediary, a wise guy named Tony (Danny Aiello). Tony always assures Leon that he is holding all his earnings for him, as Leon cannot read and write. Leon is your quintessential killer with a heart of gold. Mathilda, on the other hand, though still a child, is a pretty wily little miss with nerves of steel. It would be difficult to pull the wool over her eyes. Together, however, Leon and Mathilda go on a voyage of discovery, as each finds in the other something that captures the heart.

Notwithstanding this, the film is very much an action film. It is a rip roaring journey, as Leon and Mathilda try to evade Stansfield, the killer cop with no heart and a drug habit that would kill off lesser humans. Some of the situations are absolutely ingenious and a total trip. There is enough action in this film to satisfy even the most jaded of thrill seekers. Luc Besson, the director, has turned out a top notch, first class thriller.

Natalie Portman is luminous as Mathilda, a kid from the school of hard knocks. Her beauty, as well as her acting talent, is evident even at this early stage of her development, and there are a few almost uncomfortable Lolita-like moments in the film. There is even a scene somewhat reminiscent of the rose petal scene in the film "American Beauty", sans the rose petals.

Oldman is positively chilling with his almost over the top, edgy, manic performance. Danny Aiello is terrific as Tony, the smooth talking mob guy whom the viewer knows is taking advantage of Leon's simplicity and trust, enriching himself in the process.

Jean Reno, however, will melt your heart, becoming an almost mythic, romantic hero. I have to wonder why this amazing, sexy actor never made it really big in the United States. He is sensational as the killer with a heart. He also has some high voltage action scenes in this highly stylized film that will take your breath away.

The uncut international version of this film with an additional twenty four minutes of footage is the version to buy. It is definitely a film worth adding to one's personal collection. Bravo! ... Read more