May 31, 2005 -- “Unleashed” is a martial arts movie with unexpected character and emotional depth. It carries more of an emotional punch than it does a fighting punch. Most martial arts films have one-dimensional characters, black-and-white moral messages and stories that are nothing more than an excuse for a series of fight scenes. This story has some subtlety and a lot of heart. It is a very surprising movie in many ways. For instance, who knew that Jet Li could act? The actor famous for his breathtaking fight scenes and one-note performances delivers a (gasp!) nuanced emotional performance in this richly human drama.

“Unleashed” tells the fanciful story of Danny (Jet Li of “Hero”), a boy raised by a ruthless gangster, Bart (Bob Hoskins of “Felicia's Journey”). Bart trains Danny like an attack dog. When Bart removes Danny's metal collar, he attacks whoever Bart tells him to attack. Usually that means people who have failed to pay their loan shark debts to Bart. One day Danny escapes from Bart's clutches and winds up with a kindly piano tuner, Sam (Morgan Freeman of “Million Dollar Baby”) and Sam's stepdaughter, Victoria (Kerry Condon), who is studying to be a concert pianist.

Danny's emotional scars begin to heal with Sam and Victoria's help. He begins to remember details from his long-forgotten childhood. He begins to wonder who his mother was and what was her relationship to Bart. Piano music seems to help Danny remember. Then Danny's past comes back to haunt him and he must confront his old demons one last time. Although this is a martial arts movie, with some well-staged fight scenes (the fight choreographer is Yuen Woo-ping of “The Matrix” and many other top action films), most of the movie has nothing to do with fighting. Most of the movie has to do with becoming a complete human being. It is a fine example of secular humanism.

As I mentioned earlier, Jet Li is surprisingly effective playing the part of a repressed person coming out of his shell for the first time. Morgan Freeman gives his usual excellent performance as a character type he has done many times before. Another top-notch veteran actor, Bob Hoskins, gives a scary performance as a ruthless mobster. Hoskins has a lot of experience in this kind of tough guy role, and he goes flat out. Despite the harshness of the character, Hoskins is able to put some humanity into this tough gangster. Writer Luc Besson (“La Femme Nikita”) does a great job with this story. Besson gives his characters unusual depth. It is also a very emotional story for this particular genre. The screenplay allows plenty of time for the characters to develop. Besson does not try to fill the whole movie with action. The result is a superior genre film. It rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2005 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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