Directed by:
Louis LeterrierScreenplay:
Luc BessonCinematography:
Pierre MorelCast:
Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, Bob Hoskins, Kerry Condon, Vincent Regan, Scott Adkins, Silvio Simac, Tamer Hassan, Georgina Chapman, Patrick Tang, Alain Figlarz (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Danny (Jet Li) is a slave who has been raised like a dog by the sinister Bart (Bob Hoskins), who keeps him chained up and only unleashes him to use his martial arts skills in illegal underground pit fights. When Bart is injured in an accident, Danny is able to escape from his hellish existance, and goes on the run in a world which he can barely comprehend. Then he meets kindly piano tuner Sam (Morgan Freeman), who begins to teach him about music and what it means to be human. But Danny's new freedom doesn't last for long, as Bart recovers and sets out to regain his property. (Universal Pictures UK)
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Reviews (8)
A nice surprise in the form of Jet Li's introvert stylization, decent content, which was particularly reinforced by Morgan Freeman, and of course brilliant choreographies, in which Jet Li's main talent - martial arts - stands out. If I take away the fact that this film is mentally exhaustive and predictable in its plot, Unleashed remains an intelligent and well-filmed spectacle that is more than just an action film. Leterrier quite pleasantly combined the features of Hollywood action with European slowness and harsh humor.
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Well, either fucking make an urban combat movie or a sentimental sweetness about life. The filmmakers just don't know, because if they wanted to make the former, the middle part would look a little different and at least be interspersed with some of that dismembered corpse stuff, and if the latter, the fights would be limited to a scene where Jet Li takes out a giant fighter in an arena (pretty funny, by the way). As it is, it's a mixture of drawn-out fights, cute sentimentalism, and unpalatable kitsch. Plus lapses in logic. Either that or the rest of the bad guys in the penultimate scene are out of contract after the boss dies.
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Solidly made, with a very simple screenplay and a restrained message (about family, friendship, and love). I appreciate the minimal use of slow-motion shots and computer effects, which proves how good Jet Li truly is in martial arts, but the quality of the action is far from from his best – Jet Li will probably never be surpass the unbeatable Lethal Weapon 4. The French school is noticeable, and the whole film has a rather European style, but this action flick feels too simple and conservative to me.
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I dreamed about a movie like this when I was a teenager. Too bad it only came out now. Unleashed is a rarely seen combination of an effective drama, a simple action premise, excellent fight choreography and French charm. We see Jet Li as finally humanized and relatable, Morgan Freeman plays his most typical mentor role and Massive Attack provides the music.
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A classic, quality, but no longer surprising Jet-Li action flick, poorly masked by a higher message in the form of unquestionable ideas about the need for friendship, love and the fact that the right family is always a support. Had it stayed with just that message, led by the always great Freeman, it would have been a great film. But combined with the breaking of all possible limbs, it's another Made by Besson single-use piece of crap.
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