Review of Unleashed (2005) by Kalan S — 28 Sep 2009

If you're looking for action with story and heart, you've come to the right place. Unleashed offers some uber-impressive fight scenes, great visuals, and boasts a terrific cast. Morgan Freeman provides the compassionate soul as the blind, piano repairman, Sam. Bob Hoskins as the penny-pinching loan shark, Bart, is the exact opposite. Driven by greed with a penchant for beat downs, Bart is conniving and ruthless. And he's found the perfect way to bringing the most out of his subjective "partners". Danny. The dog.

Jet Li is Danny. And Danny has been raised like a prize fighting Pit-Bull. Take off his collar, say the simple phrase "get 'em", and the result is a very bad day for any that crossed paths with Bart and came up on the short side. Jet Li's portrayal of Danny the Dog, is both refreshing and distinct. After non stop martial arts movies depicting Li as the "ultimate badass", it was great to see him take a role where he is almost human. Alone, sad, afraid of the world, Danny has no friends. His master beats him and keeps him locked in a cage. The only thing Danny has is the distant memory of his "mum", and the animal instincts that make him a ticking-time bomb.

During a "collection', Danny meets Sam (Freeman), who helps him rediscover some of his past, and offers a world without cages, collars, or pain. Unleashed is violent and excessively over the top. If you like Jet Li or action packed thrillers, this movie is for you. Fun, exciting, with a great plot and heartfelt story, Unleashed is full of explosive fights and gritty violence. Dark in narrative and visual scope, this is an enjoyable, entertaining film. One of Jet Li's best.