Review of Unleashed (2005) by Drew E — 02 Sep 2009

?Sick 'em!?

Who wouldn?t want their own personal servant, there own personal killing machine that behaved just like a dog? Ok well most people, but if you were a crime lord? You know it makes sense.

Danny (Jet Li) is completely controlled and dominated by his master Bart (Bob Hoskins). Danny wears a collar. The rules are simple, people pay and do what Bart wants the collar stays on, they don?t the collar comes off and the violence begins. Danny doesn?t seem to feel pain and he will never stop until his master tells him to. But when an unexpected twist of fate grants Danny freedom, he soon discovers there is a whole world he has been missing out on.

Once you get over the ridiculous notion that someone could become like Danny it?s nothing but smooth sailings, in Unleashed. The Action is second to non, with every single dull thump and smack captured perfectly by Louis Leterrier, each sequence in itself is a work of art and it?s easy to see why Jet Li is so hyped all the time. The direction is simply heart pounding, adrenaline fuelled mayhem, which is in direct contrast to the rest of the film *when the Collar is on*. This mix between to worlds could have failed horribly but somehow it just makes you like the action more and make it all the more graphic, (it isn?t graphic but it feels it).

Jet Li is half man, half amazing, his fighting abilities alone make it worth watching Unleashed again and again, but, luckily, he can also act. Now, I?m not too sure how much in Unleashed is really him and how much is wire work and so on, but watching it you will find you don?t give a monkeys and it?s THAT amazing. However looking at him I?m not sure how many hats he could wear (a rom-com probably isn?t one of them), but he is good at what he is supposed to be in Unleashed, and that?s Danny, and Danny is a ?dog.?

Supporting Li is Morgan Freeman playing an old, wise (what a shocker) blind piano tuner. I?ll be frank about Freeman, he plays one role all the time, the role works and is great for him but it?s the same dam role so if you have ever seen him in any other film ever you probably are going to enjoy him in Unleashed it?s no different to any other.

But the man who really puts in the best work is Brittan?s own Sir (is he not one yet? He should be) Bob Hoskins, who returns to his roots as the owner of Danny, and an evil crime lord boss, Bart. Hoskins is spell binding in a role that revives that nasty streak in him that we haven?t really seen since The Long Good Friday.

Finally I will compliment an overlooked element of Unlashed it?s truly distinctive story and plot. Luc Besson could be one of the best writers for films of all time, having other films like The Fifth Element and Leon to boast. Unleashed can just be added to that pile. Luc took an idea that sounds silly and made it real and workable and more then that, into something special, so special in fact it actually makes the audience care for the characters.

Unleashed pummels it?s audience into submission until they are watching the film it wants them to, truly unique story and fight sequences to blow you away, which can only be matched by The Matrix. It?s smooth, it?s crisp, it?s different and it is definatly worth the effort to watch.