Unleashed
(aka; Danny the Dog)
(2005)
review by Billion$Baby

Make no mistake about it, this film features the most violent martial arts sequences that I have ever fucking seen. Seriously! And certainly the most brutal fights of Jet Li's entire career to date. It earns it's UK 18 certificate in a big way, in fact, just 10 years ago the British Board of Film Classification would have had strong objections to this film and attacked it with some very sharp scissors. Possibly even now if it had been like that for the majority of the movie...

What's interesting, is that this film is both an emotional drama and an action film - in fact, there's a shit load more drama than action. I'm a big fan of Luc Besson's Leon (aka The Professional) and since this Besson scripted film seemingly also carried the same sort of vibe, I watched to check it out asap. It took quite a while to reach the UK but the wait was sure worth it! The film features Jet Li as Danny, a character who was raised into behaving like a dog, even with collar attached (yes, honestly). When his gangland boss removes the collar, all shit breaks loose with multiple arm breaks, head butts and the like, in some of the most high-octane scenes ever witnessed.

Each time Li kicked off, you could hear collective groans and intakes of breath from the entire UK audience - I think most of us were a bit taken aback with the violence. But we all loved it of course!! Danny The Dog meets a blind piano player (Freeman) who gives him an appreciated taste of a better life whilst Danny is trying to unfold both what happened to him as a child, and also why he's especially obsessed with pianos. You know, I wish that I could have seen the studio suit's faces when this film was being pitched to 'em, it really is as thoroughly insane as it sounds. But also completely brilliant.

Despite being set in Scotland, you never even hear a single Scottish voice, which seems a bit odd to say the least. In fact, you'd always assume that it was the East End judging from the accents. Bob Hoskins turns in an extremely enjoyable but way over the top, almost Bond type villain performance. At times, he behaves more like a dog than Li, barking away as if he has an especially bad case of rabies - it's tremendous fun! Add to the mix, a modern day gladitorial arena with the upper classes betting on fights to the death, and there you have it. A film so utterly mad that it reminds me of my dream insanity - yet bizarrely, it still gets away with it.

The majority of the film is spent on the drama which also features some genuinely hilarious moments (ie, the boat rowing scene) but Jesus H Fucking Christ, does it sure kick off at regular intervals!! It also manages to better the idea of the Diamonds Are Forever Bond fight in an elevator, by setting a major, rather lengthy and extremely painful looking fight in a tiny enclosed toilet! This is highly recommended to all fans of the often poignant Leon/The Professional, and certainly also to fans of very violent martial arts movies. Although you have been warned that those scenes don't constantly appear throughout.

This is, by a very long way, Jet Li's greatest English speaking film and performance. No doubt about it whatsoever. The bottom line - great fucking action movie which also gets emotional without appearing too darn sappy. Best 2005 film after Batman Begins and Sin City by far, methinks. I wonder if the BBFC would have objected had there not also been a great deal of characterisation, touching moments and comedy to boot. Since this is probably the most convincingly violent martial arts action film that they've ever seen, in all their years of work.

What an absolute stonker of a flick, I can't say enough good things about it - hurry up dvd release!!!