User reviews

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.

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.

Rating: **** out of ****

If I'm always skeptical of Jet Li's English-speaking films, it's for good reason. They're usually crap. Too often, he's either been put in the hands of incompetent directors who couldn't properly film or edit his impressive martial arts abilities and/or he's teamed alongside a cast that includes one rapper too many. It also didn't help that these movies were poorly written and acted, failing to work as either a showcase for Li's moves or his charisma. So it's all the more satisfying that Unleashed goes through its entire running time without succumbing to any single one of these flaws.

Jet Li stars as Danny, a fully grown man with the mind of a child who is a literal slave/pet to Bart (Bob Hoskins), a Glasgow mob boss who keeps Danny in a cage and uses him as a form of "persusasion" to those who owe him money. Like a dog, Danny wears a collar, shy and seemingly dumb whenever it's clasped around his neck, but a ferocious killer once he's unleashed.

After a mishap with another criminal, Bart and Danny are left for dead, leaving an injured Danny to crawl to a warehouse where he's taken under the wing of kindly blind piano tuner Sam (Morgan Freeman) and his stepdaughter, Victoria (Kerry Condon). Starting over with a clean slate, Danny comes to enjoy his new life and loving family; no longer is violence or cruelty something he must face everyday. But fate hands him an unlucky turn when he's forced to confront Bart, finding no choice but to give in to his violent side one last time.

The film's premise, that of a violent man finding a better life, is nothing new but rarely have I seen the simple but effective premise delivered so well and with such genuine heart. To my immense surprise, it's Jet Li's performance that anchors the film, showing us a side of corrupted innocence and child-like enthusiasm that is sweet, moving, and occasionally even quite humorous. The transformation and natural maturity Danny undergoes is engaging, and it's to no small measure of Li's performance that we hope Danny can entirely shed his former life even when we know it'll inevitably catch up with him.

Li is surrounded by a fantastic cast with great actors Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins pulling their own weight. Freeman delivers as always, playing the kindly authority figure with firm but gentle resolve. Hoskins is over-the-top but suitably so as Bart, whom we're quite sure is complete scum, yet one can't dismiss the fact that he holds Danny in a certain esteem, and that he may actually be the only person in the world Bart cares for, however twisted a manner he chooses to show it. Relative newcomer Kerry Condon is cute and appealing, although she could just as easily have won me over with that great smile of hers.

As a kick-ass action film, Unleashed is superb. The ratio of action to story might be a bit less than hardcore martial arts fans desire, but there's no question every facet of the plot bolsters the fight scenes, giving every battle a palpable and underlying current of emotion that adds to the thrills of the spectacle. And spectacular action this is; every fight scene-most especially the brutal opening sequence and the thrilling, almost emotionally exhausting climax-is brilliantly filmed and edited, wisely emphasizing Li's natural abilities in favor of quick-cuts and wirework. There are a few instances of Matrix-style slow motion, but the spare usage works to the film's advantage. There's even a terrific fight scene inside a tiny bathroom that far outdoes a similar scene in The Matrix.

An absolute winner on almost every conceivable level (the exception being that the title should be changed back to Danny the Dog, but I'm not going to hold that against the movie), Unleashed delivers some of the best action scenes I've seen to go hand-in-hand with memorable characters I adored and a story that riveted me from start to finish. I should also not slight director Louis Leterrier, who puts it all together with the right mix of strong style and natural storytelling. Why can't all action films be this good?

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.

DANNY THE DOG

(USA/UK: Unleashed)

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS

Raised as a fighting machine by thuggish Glasgow loan sharks, a young man (Jet Li) finds happiness after falling into the care of a kindly old piano teacher (Morgan Freeman) and his musical-protégé granddaughter (Kerry Condon). But Li's past catches up with him, threatening the safety of his newfound family...

Terrific combination of heartfelt drama and bone-crunching action scenes (choreographed by Yuen Wo-ping), anchored by strong performances (including Bob Hoskins as Li's brutal 'mentor') and a finely-tuned script by French action maestro Luc Besson. Grainy filmstock and an excess of closeups (typical of the ghastly Super 35 'widescreen' process) render it less cinematic than it ought to be, and the narrative is predictable, but the movie works on a visceral level whilst simultaneously pulling the heartstrings. Li's best non-HK film since KISS OF THE DRAGON (2001).

(English dialogue)

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.

Luc Besson's signature style is all over the writing of this very fine little film. His ability to push the buttons on the most violent screen business while gradually developing a tale of warm sentiment is well served by director Louis Leterrier and a perfect cast of actors. UNLEASHED is one of the few examples of how martial arts and bona fide drama can be mutually supportive in creating a film that is at once thrillingly athletic and gently tender.

Bart (Bob Hoskins) is a brutish loan shark thug who makes his 'collections' accompanied by his 'dog' Danny (Jet Li), a silent man Bart has raised form childhood to be a caged killer, a human with a dog collar that when removed unleashes a ferocious beast who kills on command of his master Bart. Bart keeps him in a cage, feeds him, and uses him solely for his criminal doings. Danny unleashed is simply a Pavlovian animal and when the collar is replaced, he becomes docile with the sad eyes of a puppy.

During a 'collection' gone bad, Danny escapes and finds shelter in an antique shop basement where he meets blind piano tuner Sam (Morgan Freeman), a gentle man who gradually introduces Danny to music, trains him as his assistant, and introduces him to his 'family' - his step daughter Victoria (Kerry Condon). With the two of these welcoming, tender people Danny discovers how beautiful life can be. The story from this point is how Danny chooses between his Pavlovian response life as a killer and the simple life of Sam and Victoria. The journey is not without stressors and it is a difficult transition that keeps the viewer on seat's edge.

The wonder of this film lies in the extraordinary performances not usually associated with martial arts films. Jet Li does some of his finest athletic fighting on film, but thankfully at the same time creates a character who is multidimensional and memorable - a very fine acting job by Li. Bob Hoskins is brilliant as the despicably cruel Bart, Morgan Freeman adds a luster to his fine portrayal of blind Sam, and Kerry Condon makes Victoria zany and lovable at the same time. The action is superbly captured by cinematographer Pierre Morel with the aura of darkness in Danny's caged life serving as a perfect foil to the martial arts sequences.In short, this is a fine little film about characters worth knowing and provides audiences with both action and drama of a very high level of achievement. Grady Harp

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.

Jet Li stars as Danny, a human dog trained to kill once his collar has been taken off by his thug gangster boss Bart {Bob Hoskins}. When an attempt on Bart's life lets him escape, Danny is found and taken in by a blind piano turner named Sam {Morgan Freeman} and his teenage stepdaughter Victoria {Kerry Condon}. But just as Danny starts to find a real life, and piece together his childhood, Bart and his thug army are back on his tail.

Essential for Jet Li fans, but probably not for every action movie fan. Danny The Dog {AKA Unleashed} is an interesting blend of outright violence and quiet comedy led domesticity. Bookended by excellently choreographed fights {take a bow Yuen Wo-ping}, it's with the overtly sentimental middle section that the film will lose some of its viewers. It will either serve as a touching portrait as Danny searches for his human worth {Li showing he has more than just kick assery in his acting armoury}, or, have you quickly rummaging around for some old Van Damme DVD to play instead. Given the bonkers nature of the story, the surprise is that Unleashed is pretty tight, with no extraneous characters or subplots to bog it down. It's just a four character piece, with Freeman & Hoskins playing out as good and evil surrogate father figures. With the acting of a very high standard. Especially Hoskins, who is revelling in being a comedic, yet violent, scum-bag. It's also beautifully filmed with a sort of metallic sheen by Pierre Morel and the Neil Davidge/Massive Attack musical input is at one with the mood of the piece.

From smack downs in toilet cubicles to tender piano playing moments, Danny The Dog is certainly no ordinary action movie. It could go either way if you haven't seen it, but give it a chance and you just might be as entertained as I was. Yes, even with that middle section. 7/10

First and foremost, this is merely my personal opinion, if your here to tell me how bad of a movie it is, save it. I don't care what you have to say, However bias it may sound, I just know a good movie when I see one.

Not only was it the Best Jet li movie I have seen, I think it was one of my many favorite of many films that I have seen this year. With such great actors like Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins, and Jet li's acting has much improved as well. This movie combines some of my favorite genres from Kung-fu to drama, to action and perhaps even gore, this movie is rather violent. I think it was done so, as to convey the kind of violence that Danny inherited due to his evil master's example/ways. I think the story is perfectly believable, and it just keeps getting better, there isn't a dull moment from the jaw dropping fight scenes, some of jet li's best I think since Fist of Legend, and Once upon a time in china. To the growing relationships between danny and sam, to character and plot development. With a superb soundtrack, done by a great electronic band: Massive Attack. And beautiful cinematography. I have nothing more to say except it's the best movie I've seen all year, I suggest you go see it and enjoy it, as much as I did!

Found this movie very entertaining.

I was riveted to my seat and totally absorbed into the movie.

It really tore me up to see how badly he was treated by his captors and I was overjoyed each time he escaped. Also enjoyed seeing Morgan Freeman again. He's a classic. I hadn't seen the previews of this movie beforehand and thought it was "just another action film" ---- until I saw Morgan Freeman come on the scene.

The story line was unusual and the acting was great --- for an action film. Wish that more action films were directed at this level.

Jet Li is fabulous and he can act. I wish him a lifetime of successful films and hope to see them all.

Jet Li stars as a youth raised by the killer (Bob Hoskins) of his mother, and trained to be a "pit bull" fighter in a series of anything-goes martial arts matches. That part of the movie has been depicted a thousand times before, although it is always great to see Li doing his thing against a veritable army of bad guys. But this story takes a rather novel twist: Li meets a blind pianist (Morgan Freeman) who exposes him to the beauty of music and alters his life forever. Li decides he no longer wants to fight, escapes his longtime captor and is off and running from Hoskins and a platoon of thugs. A prolonged battle in and around an apartment complex has to be seen to be believed. While there are plenty of fights and nonstop action, the movie also considers what it would be like to live a contemplative life. I could not imagine Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee pulling this off.

Danny loses his mother at a young age, and his then raised as a dog to serve only his master. His master is a ruthless, bloodhound who uses Danny to do his dirty work. When Danny escapes his master, he's taken in by a blind piano player. After trying to start a new life, his old master finds him and tries to bring him back to serve him. Now Dany must fight his way out of his old life so he can be able to live a normal life...

If you look at Jet Li's American film career you'll get such stinkers as The One, Cradle to the Grave, and Romeo Must Die. So once I heard another Jet Li film was near, I wondered if it was going to star another rap artist. Instead, the film that is Danny The Dog, or Unleashed, for it's American audience, is a film about family and wanting to belong. I was pleasantly surprised by this film and it's martial arts was pleasing to the eye. Dany the Dog is not the typical Jet Li fare. It does have it's fair share of fight sequences, but you'll be getting a story with that as well.

What makes the film different from Li's others? Well, there are numerous things, for instance, the supporting cast. With such good actors such as Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman, it was nice to see some real actors being apart of Jet Li's films. Hoskins is deliciously evil as Danny's master and Freeman is charming as the blind piano player.

Now, there isn't so much as a great story, but there is a story. A kid loses his mother, become a fighting slave to the man who killed his mother, then he gets his revenge. It's written by Luc Besson, who adds some flavour to the script. Whereas any other Jet Li film would have DMX bringing down the house.

The martial art sequences really showcase Li's talent. Even though the film does do it's one bad guy at a time formula, Li and the editing make it look smoother. Louis Leterrier does a good job a making the sequences suspenseful, even if we know who's going to come out on top. The violent factor is high here, as in one scene where there are fighter in a squared arena, with walls covered in barbed wire and random weapons thrown in. Quite savage, yet entertaining at the same time. Check it out, if you're ready for some tight fight sequences and a good performance from Hoskins.

But I mean that in a very good Way. Well first off all of you going into this Movie expecting a Martial arts festival, I have to disappoint you. This Movie focuses More on the dramatic Storyline, then rather on spectacular Fights. Nonetheless very impressive Fights are in the Movie, it is the Storyline between Danny (Li), Bart (Hoskins), Sam (Freeman) and Victoria (Condon) that keeps you in the Movie. This Movie is mainly a Drama/Martial Arts Movie and no Crime/Action/Thriller like IMDb shows you. Honestly I haven't seen much Hosking's movies in the past, but believe me the main Reasons that keep you into the Movie are very fine Performances from Jet Li and Bob Hoskins. Both of em are wonderful. Another plus to this Movie are the Sound effects. They are realistic as Hell. In most of the Fight Movies you hear some weird sounds coming when they hit one another; well this one were so brutally real that I thought wow they are killing each other out there. The Fights are few but very spectacular and somewhat brutal. The first two Fights are excellent because they are shot very realistic and with a fast paced camera, the last Fights are more graphical and slowly filmed. But as I watched the first two Fights I was impressed how everybody involved in the Fight Sequences, did such a wonderful Job on letting them look brutal and realistic. Every time Li hits somebody I sat there feeling the brutalized Hits, which let's you get the feeling that you're in the Fights (Not Literally but it lets you feel the Hits). Louis Leterrier did a very good Job filming this Movie. The Fight Scenes are not too quick, so that you can see everything and the Dramatic Scenes are shot with the right Amount of Heart to keep the Spectator engaged in the Movie. But be Aware after the first two Fights, is a great Hole which is filled with 40-50 Mins of Storyline, which didn't bother me, but I can imagine that People will go into this Movie expecting something like Romeo must die, Twin Warriors or Fist of Legend they will be heavily disappointed, because this Movie focuses more on it's engaging Storyline. So please enter the Theater with this in Mind and you will LOVE this Movie. One Thing actually bothers me that is the American way of promoting the Movie. As always they will promote the Movie as one of Li's new Martial Arts Festival, with non-stop ass kicking from Li but Please always keep in Mind, Li is more acting than fighting in this Movie!! It is a Drama with Martial Arts Elements in it. Don't be fooled by American Distributors!!!!!!!!

Unleashed (AKA Danny the Dog), 2005

This movie contains a shocking surprise, and while I hate to give away spoilers I have to tell you the amazing surprise of this movie: Jett Lee actually isn't a terrible actor! So I saw Unleashed a few days ago and Jet Lee actually seemed to act pretty well. It was more or less what you would expect from a Jet Lee movie. Lot of cool fight scene, plot kind of cool in a cheesy way, but what surprised me is that a lot of the scenes where Jet Lee wasn't fighting anyone were pretty good. The one thing that wasn't explained was why he had an aisan accent when the plot explained that he was raised in Great Britain, but whatever.

6/10, 18th best of 2005, 168th of the 2000s, 531st overall

This was a breakthrough performance for Jet Li. It was nice to see him get away from just being the amazing fighter, and seeing him in a little bit more of a serious role. Of course Morgan Freeman was simply brilliant, and Bob Hoskins did an amazing job as the villain.

This movie had a lot less action than I had anticipated, but the story behind it makes it much better than any amount of action/violence could have. The theater was full of people laughing, gasping or being COMPLETELY silent as one. It was the perfect mix of action and comedy within a heartfelt story.

I recommend this movie to any fan of any movie EVER!

This is a much darker film from Jet Li than audiences would be used to.

Its gritty and quite sinister. Surprisingly, this is delivered exclusively by Bob Hoskins who provides a tour de force performance. Having watched his comedy work this effort was something of a revelation to me.

This film is a drama with fighting in it. I don't really want to watch a Jet Li drama. He can act ok but he's no De Niro. Nor do I watch De Niro for his fighting ability.

So what stops this from being a true classic for me is the lack of fights combined with some of the other fighters being a little too zany (in the crappy Mad Max way cinema is stuck on).

Its awesome but could have been much more awesomer :) (my daughter will hate that 'word')

I rented this movie because Jet Li was in it and I love his action movie fighting style. It always amazed me the sheer beauty of his movements. Ballet was ever the nearest comparison I could envision when watching him in action.

Unleashed/Danny the Dog is utterly, astoundingly different. The opening scenes of violence were just that. Hard and vicious, no beauty, pure street-level brutality. As the character evolved, grew into a person, the style changed. It was still harsh and brutal, but tempered with a hint of the flow of his other works. I haven't noticed other commenters picking up on the transition, it deserves notice. In martial arts, movement is highly attuned to the person - and Jet Li certainly understood the need for Danny to transition as a person, a fighter and more in this movie.

There wasn't a single scene that didn't make you react - shock, sympathy, empathy or sheer longing for the character's freedom and growth. I sincerely hope Jet Li receives recognition for the intensity he brought to this role. It has quickly moved to being one of my favorites.

I really liked the movie, especially from a martial arts perspective, Jet Lee is a kick ass martial artist and he just gets better and better, the plot is excellent, just excellent, and the fighting scenes are supreme. Morgan Freeman's performance in this movie is top notch, he's made for these kinds of role and I honestly don't think they could have found anyone better for his role. It feels good that the action genre still is able to deliver great movies, as many action flicks of today just suck

If you like Morgan Freeman, then this is a movie for you. If you like Jet Lee and astonishing fighting, then this is a movie for you. If you like both of them then this movie REALLY is for you!

This was an embarrassment to Morgan Freeman, who must surely be wishing he hadn't bothered. From the question of why a gang of professional enforcers got the crap kicked out of ALL of them twice in one afternoon as a prelude to being shot and left for dead, to the lame ass plot hole of the flashing red light, to the high school girl who looked like a 40 year old marketing exec wearing braces, being so eager to snog a middle-aged beaten-up simpleton, to the jaw-dropping idiocy of a blind man pointing out people in photographs, to the cringemaking mix of accents, to the portrayal of Glasgow as some sort of post-modern Rome, I was utterly at a loss. Also I am sick to death of Bob Hoskins trotting out the same old tired, gravelly-voiced cockney gangster stereotype all his career. Just a teensy bit of professional pride mate?