Unleashed

Unleashed is the touching story of Danny (Jet Li) who as a young boy was brought harshly by a loanshark (Bob Hoskins) and was trained to kill once his dog collar is removed. Although Danny was brought up as a dog, he is human, and through the intervention of music and the care and love of a blind piano tuner (Morgan Freeman), and his stepdaughter (Kerry Condon), Danny discovers another side of life.

Unleashed is not an action movie. There certainly are some spectacular fight scenes, but the emphasis is put on the relationship between Morgan Freeman and his stepdaughter, and Jet Li, and on the development of Danny's "humanity". Danny yearns for more than just killing; he discovers music and is saved by it. Music also plays a key role in his self-discovery as it awakens long-lost memories of his childhood.

For the first time, the audience are treated to Jet Li's true acting capabilities. Jet Li seems genuine and earnest--perhaps this is because the actor openly acknowledges that this film is close to his heart: as a Buddhist, Jet Li is against violence, and this film portrays the fight between humanity and violence.

This drama is a surprising break from usual martial arts movies. The fact that the number of action scenes is limited is counter-balanced by Yuen Wo Ping's masterful choreography; do not expect a fight-fest. Do however expect an unpretentious touching story featuring good actors with a few spectacular action scenes.

For a martial arts picture, "Unleashed" was above average because it had some heart and soul to it.....not just people beating the crap out of one another for two straight hours.

However, be wary of those who claim this isn't an action film. That's not true: there is a lot of action, quite a bit of brutality and profanity, mostly by Bob Hoskins' character "Bart" in this movie. Hoskins plays profane, nasty slave-owner who has locked up and trained "Danny" (Jet Li) to be the ultimate fighting machine. Once Danny is "unleashed" (literally) he's a killer and helps the gangster Bart in his criminal work.

Then, in a moment of further greed, Hoskins agrees to enter his man in a death match with a lot of money at stake. That match turns out to be a farce with Danny winning in a matter of seconds. The other promoter wants a rematch, and with more entertainment. In the meantime, however, Danny escapes his captors and winds up at the house of an older blind American, "Sam," played by Morgan Freeman. He and his 18-year-old daughter "Natalie" (Kelly Condon) befriend young Danny, slowly bringing him out of his "animal" state. Everyone discovers Danny has some very human characteristics and is basically a nice, gentle guy. The family helps uncover that through music (piano playing, to be exact). These are all touching scenes.

But then - and this is almost a cliché in these kind of films - the bad guy comes back, snatches him away and his former bad life comes back....except Danny is a changed man. How he can get out of this latest predicament and what happens to this new "adopted" family, takes up the rest of the story. That last part has the same thing: ultra-violent and touching scenes.

Jet Li does an excellent job in here, not only displaying his amazing physical talents but also showing us he has warmth in his face and heart.

Overall: a brutal, yet touching film: an odd combination.

This film, circulates around a purity, and a rage entwined around each other. It's beyond timeless, Jet Li is perfect and more. It portrays the sick people in this world, and what they do for the most pathetic tools everyone needs. It shows Love, and Death. And it shows Need for the Truth. Its far to obvious that anyone that opposes this is simply out of their own mind in egotistical attention. The question is, is this movie portraying the actual real world we live in, or is it not? This movie floods your mind and heart with power and love. It was perfectly articulate, and balanced between life and death. This movie was never over-advertised, showing that it was made for the intent of impressing, rather then selling, and getting money... Its perfect.

The film concerns about Danny(an incredible Jet Li) a young man who lives like a slave . He is treated like a dog by his proprietary Bart(a magnificent villain Bob Hoskins)a nasty mobster from Glascow who raised him since child like a savage animal . When Bart unleashes his collar Danny is behaving like a rabid dog and starts hitting and knocking people practicing his natural talent for martial arts.His amazing slickness united to a risk sense converted him in a tournaments champion.Later a car accident is executed by an opposite gangster(a tough Vincent Regan) and Danny flees and shelters at home of a blind tuner of piano named Sam(as always an excellent Morgan Freeman) and his stepdaughter(a charming Kerry Condon).Danny is haunted by the musical sounds which remember him his anterior life.

The picture gets frenetic action, impressive fights with bound and leaps and no stunts but the same actors are the fighters.The struggles are well staged with spectacular choreography in charge of the specialist Woo Ping Yuen(Kill Bill and Matrix).But not only fights but the film has an interesting story(well written by Luc Besson) where a violent Danny is attracted for a familiar feeling .In spite of the crude violence the picture has its agreeable moments here and there narrated with ductility and delicacy and developed with great sense of fairness and sensitivity.The music with a bit of go by Massive attack.The film is produced by the French producer Pierre Spengler with a long career and by the same Jet Li(Cradle 2,Hero,The one,Kiss of dragon) .The motion picture is well directed by Louis Leterrier(Tansporteur I and II). The movie will like to Jet Li fans and martial arts enthusiastic. Rating Better than average, well worth watching.

So in the last few years we have seen Jet Li in Romeo must die and Cradle to the grave, both modern and with Jet Li approaching the subject of acting, though hardly touching it. So far Jet Li has not acted he has merely been that kung fu guy, another Bruce Lee.

But here, we see him act, not for just five minutes when there is a break in the fighting, but for the entire film. At times there is over half an hour between any kind of fighting, and it is very much appreciated. We really see a different side of Jet Li, this is not 'you killed my master; I have come to avenge him'. But a new, modern martial arts film, where we have a plot we can believe in.

Bob Hoskins takes a nice dramatic turn here, 'that man sure can talk', as Danny's 'owner' and it's a gangster role that suits him well. His angry growl is both fearsome and less put on but unleashed.

But don't get me wrong here; this is still a martial arts film. You'll find yourself cringing and laughing from fright at the fight scenes. Jet Li is not a sleek, showy performer here, but real fighter, intense and scary in his brutality. But equally brutal is the realisation of human freedom and human nature, in some ways were all somebody's dog.

Danny the Dog is clearly Jet Li's best work, and hopefully marks a new direction for him, one I am very much looking forward to seeing.