Review of Unleashed (2005) by Paul C — 02 Apr 2016

With Louis Leterrier behind the camera and Jet Li in front of it, Unleashed sounded like solid action entertainment.

As Jet Li has worked with a Luc Besson screenplay prior on Kiss of the Dragon (2001), viewers can know to expect mediocrity in the scripting with plenty of solid action to overshadow it. Louis Leterrier knows how to work with the demands of his audience and delivers on it, even if he falters along the way. The concept behind Unleashed is actually pretty original As simplistic and shallow as it might be, Unleashed presents a story with a main character is the servant killing machine of a loan shark with the mental capacity of a child and the aggression of a dog. The extent of knowledge Danny the Dog actually.

Knows can vary at times, but that's what you get from a Luc Besson screenplay. The story itself would be one that would function well as a genuine drama in a different context, but in Unleashed it provides enough of a gimmick to stand above many similar action films. However, any attempts to put actual drama into the film prove dumbfounded as they drag the narrative on between its far superior action film. The lead character is sympathetic enough to be more than your generic action hero archetype and reflects themes of damaged innocence explored in Luc Besson's greatest film Leon: The Professional (1994), but due to the direct shortage of character development in Unleashed the extended periods of dialogue just makes things drag on in between all the fight scenes. After the action from the intro there is little fighting for a long time while the story attempts to develop itself despite being blunted by its straight-up simplicity, leaving viewers to face Luc Besson's limitations as a writer until the action comes back. This is where Louis Leterrier reminds us all what he's good at.

Admittedly, even with his stylistic ambitions there are some faults in the visuals of Unleashed. The one key factor is that the cinema du look colour scheme of Unleashed very heavily codes everything to be mostly a different shade of grey, creating a visual experience which is ultimately a really dull one much of the time. It's only when the colour scheme becomes overshadowed by what the cinematography is actually doing where things really take off, and this can be credited entirely to the quality of the action scenes. The cinematography in the action scenes manages to not only film the fights for many extended shots, but it uses a creative variety of angles which give a creative mood to the experience. The technique behind it is very innovative, giving viewers a full perspective of the combat and then some. The camera plays with zooms, edits and Dutch angles to effectively set the mood in the action scenes and manages to maximize the power of the exact quality of choreography you could hope for from a Jet Li film. And given that one of the people he fights is Scott Adkins, that really appeals to me on a personal level.

Jet Li is given a role where his sole abilities are limited mainly to the physical side of things, meaning that his ability to unleash his array of martial arts stills is the key purpose of his existence. However, there are small ways in which he manages to add meaning to the role without exceeding the narrative grasp of the feature. Jet Li is able to maintain the emotionally withdrawn status of his character, lost in his own world with determination to learn and the stare of a child. He carries a vulnerable innocence in the role, the kind you'd never expect from a martial arts expert. Jet Li is able to play to viewers' sympathies and even bring out some sporadic elements of humour in his role. And of course, the simple fact is that the man is a legend of martial arts. With endless swift energy, Jet Li proves to deliver a versatile collection of powerful fighting techniques in Unleashed which see him fighting in a variety of settings, and he takes on multiple enemies at once against a different array of weaponry. The man continues to amaze with the swift speed of his technique and the determination to keep them flowing so consistently while depicting aggression as the driving force behind it all. Jet Li carries Unleashed with the exceptional fighting skills he has proven himself for in countless other films, and the high production values help to ensure that they are given the same justice they deal out.

Bob Hoskins makes a powerful presence as the antagonist of the story. Though playing a very stereotypical character who is given little more to do than to shout everything, but Bob Hoskins uses his natural edge to bring this to life. Lost in Bart's mindset of being obsessed with power and control, Bob Hoskins manages to capture a tenacious insanity in the role which he fuels with nothing short of pure aggression. And sensibly enough, his screen time is limited so he never goes overboard. Bob Hoskins grasps the remorseless nature of his character and brings out pure antagonism in the part.

And Morgan Freeman makes a likable presence. Although his character is a very heavy archetype, given that Jet Li actually says little over the course of the film, the casting of a man with an iconic voice like Morgan Freeman is a key part of the narrative in Unleashed. He provides a likable supporting character, and though he is a very gimmicky cast member it does help to keep things mildly compelling during the dull dramatic sections of Unleashed. As best as you can do with chemistry between a blind man and a mentally-limited killing machine, Morgan Freeman and Jet Li manages to engage with good chemistry.

Alas, Kerry Condon does not carry all that much appeal. The writing behind her character is poor as her she proves endlessly talkative from the instant she proceeds onto the screen and from there she simply supplies an obligatory melodramatic subplot and nothing else. The woman doesn't carry enough natural charm to transcend this.

Unleashed's attempts to pretend it has a story gets in the way of its stylish potential, but Jet Li's brilliant martial arts skills and Louis Leterrier's determination to put them to use brings a powerful adrenaline rush out of the film.