Unleashed Review
Jet Li plays Danny, a man who was brainwashed as a child to behave like an attack dog. His owner, a crime boss named Bart, uses him to extort people and to win money in an underground fight club. However, when a deal goes wrong and Bart's car is attacked, Danny leaves his owner for dead and comes into contact with a kind man named Sam and his stepdaughter Victoria. However, his old life soon comes back to reclaim him.
This is one of the most interesting Jet Li movies I have seen to date. Surprisingly, this film wasn't the same Martial Arts romp that I come to expect from Jet Li films. There's still plenty of action, but the storyline to this film was extraordinarily gripping. Li, while not known to be a good actor, blew me away in this film. It seems that Li really took it to the next level with his acting, and he made the character of Danny very believable. Morgan Freeman, playing Sam, was great as always. Freeman's role was pivotal in illustrating Danny's evolution from a ruthless killing machine to a sentimental and intelligent man. The addition of Kerry Condon, who played Victoria, was a nice touch to the film and further helped to develop the characters. Bob Hoskins plays the role of the villain Bart, and it seems that he was born to play villains. Hoskins is very reminiscent of Danny Devito in both his looks and demeanor.
The choreography and fight scenes were excellent, but there seemed to be less action in this movie than with Li's previous. It seems with the added drama and storyline, the director pulled out many of the action scenes that Jet Li fans are accustomed to. The character development and storyline came at an expense to the raw martial arts action that most Jet Li films provide. However, it's not necessarily a bad thing, since I came to really enjoy the storyline. (Editor's Note: Extended version of the DVD contains many more action sequences).
If you want to watch an action film that is more than just raw action, Unleashed may be your best bet. With a great cast of actors and actresses, an interesting storyline, and, of course, Jet Li, Unleashed may just be one of my favorite action films and it is definitely my favorite Jet Li movie.
Written by Lance
User Reviews for Unleashed There are no user reviews for this movie.
Write a review for Unleashed. You must be a registered user of our forums to write a review. Reviewers are eligible to
win prizes.
Unleashed Links
Unleashed Cast
Jet Li as Danny
Morgan Freeman as Sam
Kerry Condon as Victoria
Bob Hoskins as Bart