Unleashed (2005)

There's a version of Unleashed that ranks among the great martial arts films. And for about thirty minutes of its runtime, spread unevenly across its full length, it actually is. The hand-to-hand combat here is some of the best you'll see in the genre: fluid, brutal, ferociously choreographed, and executed with a physical precision that makes your jaw drop. Then the fight ends, and you're back to waiting.

Jet Li plays a man who has been raised, quite literally, like a guard dog. Kept on a collar, caged between jobs, and unleashed on command to beat opponents senseless for his master's financial gain. It's a genuinely striking premise, and Li commits to it completely. His physical performance is both powerful and heartbreaking, all coiled tension and animal instinct giving way, gradually, to something more fragile and human. It might be one of his most interesting performances, because he's not just asked to fight. He's asked to feel, and he manages it.

Bob Hoskins is suitably slimy as the crime boss pulling the strings, clearly relishing the nastiness of the role without overdoing it. And Morgan Freeman does what Morgan Freeman does, bringing a quiet, unhurried dignity to the piano tuner who takes Li's character in and starts showing him what a normal life might look like. The scenes between those two have a warmth to them. There's real tenderness in the way the film handles the idea of a grown man learning to be a person, discovering music, food, safety. And the dynamic with the young woman who becomes a kind of guide through everyday life adds another layer of gentleness that the story genuinely earns.

So the bones are solid. The premise is compelling, the performances are committed, and the emotional thread about trauma, identity and finding your own voice is handled with more care than you'd expect from this kind of film. I wanted to love it. I really did.

But here's the honest problem: everything between the fights drags. The quieter scenes, the emotional beats, the stretches of dialogue, they flatten out. They don't breathe so much as stall. The pacing goes slack in exactly the moments that should be pulling you deeper in, and you find yourself sitting there, not moved, just waiting. Waiting for the next fight, because that's where the film truly comes alive and reminds you what it's actually capable of.

It's a frustrating imbalance. The action sequences are so viscerally alive, so precise and inventive, that the contrast with the slower passages becomes almost painful. It's not that the quieter scenes are badly written or poorly acted. It's that they don't have enough momentum to carry their own weight. The film seems to know this too, somewhere deep down, because whenever things start to drift, another fight arrives to rescue it.

I've followed Jet Li across a fair few films over the years. I enjoyed The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), for instance, which lets him have a bit more fun. Unleashed asks more of him dramatically, and he rises to it, which makes the script's unevenness all the more frustrating. He's doing the work. The film just doesn't always meet him there.

Worth watching? Yes, with a caveat. If you're coming purely for the fight choreography, you'll have a great time. If you're hoping for a fully satisfying emotional drama that earns its quieter moments as much as its louder ones, you'll find yourself reaching for the remote more than once. It's got heart, and it's got brilliance, just not in the same scenes at the same time.

Three stars.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2005  | Watched: 2025-09-01

View on Letterboxd →

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

More from Louis Leterrier: The Incredible Hulk (2008)
More with Jet Li: The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) · The One (2001)
More from China: Skiptrace (2016) · Men in Black: International (2019) · New Police Story (2004) · Police Story: Lockdown (2013)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More crime: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Angst (1983) · Stolen Face (1952) · Cairo Station (1958)