Unleashed

Review by: Alysa Salzberg AlysaSalzberg@TheCinemaSource.com

So, here's the thing: action star Jet Li has decided he wants to start making movies that are less, well, action-filled, and more thought-provoking, peace-promoting, and challenging for an actor. In other words, just the kind of thinking that makes producers and studios soil themselves. Luckily, there are some auteurs out there who are willing to take a risk. French director/writer/mogul Luc Besson is one of them. At Li's request, he came up with a scenario that would be just what the star was searching for: Unleashed.

Unleashed is the story of Danny (Li), a young man who, from his early childhood, has been raised to be a killing machine by Bart (Bob Hoskins), a tough, manipulative British gangster. Using a sort of Pavolovian method that should definitely not be tried on your own kids at home, Bart treats Danny like a dog, and has him trained so that when the metal collar he always wears around his neck is unclasped and removed, Danny goes into a frenzy, beating the life out of anyone nearby. However, Danny is not, in fact, some sort of human pit-bull, but rather a sensitive, kind-natured man with a passion for music and a longing for a family he never knew. One day, a horrible accident causes him to be thrown into the life of Sam (Morgan Freeman), a blind piano tuner, and his step-daughter Victoria (Kerry Condon), a young pianist who's finishing her years at a British conservatory. The duo take Danny into their home and teach him about the finer things in life, like music, art, and ice cream. Piano lessons, acceptance, and security soothe his savage soul. But with the gangsters out looking for him, and the constant threat of that pesky collar coming off and sending him into killer mode, what will become of Danny and his newfound loved ones?

At the very least, the idea of Unleashed is unusual enough to earn praise in its own right. Like a specially bred canine, the tale allows for a combination of drama, quiet humor, and kickass fight scenes. The opening especially grips you somewhere in the lower abdomen, as we see Danny in full feral glory, beating the living crap out of, like, a dozen guys. But the movie does have other moments that will stick in your memory, like the first time Danny is kissed, or the first time his fingers dance along piano keys.

Yes, Li, the studios, and everyone else concerned, definitely seem to have found what they were looking for. But will audiences? While its story is eccentric and compelling (if sometimes a bit treacly), and while its performances work well, from Hoskins doing Bad British Guy as only he can, to Li showing

a quiet gentility even when smashing someone's head into a wall, fans of action films may find Unleashed to be a bit slow. The problem is, the story wants us to see how Danny's new life is full of love and comfortable security, the opposite of a frenetic, choppy, fast-paced fight scene. This way, when the gangsters find him again, as they inevitably will, the audience will have no doubt where Danny belongs, and will be on the edge of our seats hoping he'll be able to defeat or escape them in the final fight. But in fact, some audience members may just want the final fight to come so that there'll be a fight.

In destroying an old image, and many general action movie requirements, Jet Li and Luc Besson allowed for action-drama hybrid Unleashed to see the light of day. This unusual species of movie will be thrilling, entertaining, and moving for many people, but fans of pure, nonstop action may find it to be nothing more than a dog with a long bark and not nearly enough bite. On the other hand, who knows? — its portrayal of familial love might leave them moved enough to give a few wavering howls through the long-feeling running time.

Movie Grade: B+

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This is the story of Danny (Li), a slave who has lived his whole life without any sort of normal human education, with the mind and personality of a young child, with only one lesson learned: how to fight. Treated like a dog by his owner/boss, Bart (Hoskins) which includes having to wear a collar, Danny has been raised to be a lethal fighting machine who fights in illegal gladiator-style fight clubs, where he earns lots of money for Bart as the undisputed champion. After a car accident that lands Bart in a coma, however, Danny meets a kind elderly blind piano tuner (Freeman) on the run because he knows secrets some bad guys don’t want known, who uses music to teach Danny some things about the world and about being human…