Unleashed (2005)
★★★ — Unleashed (2005)
Unleashed (released in some territories as Danny the Dog) arrived in 2005 as a co-production between Luc Besson's EuropaCorp and a loose coalition of French, British, and American backers, an arrangement that gave it a slightly unusual transatlantic identity for what is, at its core, a Jet Li action vehicle. The script came from Besson himself, who by that point had settled comfortably into his role as a producer-writer of high-octane European genre pictures rather than a director. Louis Leterrier, still early in his career, had made Transporter (2002) just a few years prior and would go on to direct The Incredible Hulk (2008), and Unleashed sits neatly in that period of his work, polished but kinetic. Filming took place largely in Glasgow, doubling for a grimy, unnamed British city, with Bob Hoskins cast against type as the cheerfully menacing Bart.
Unleashed (also known as Danny the Dog) has some of the best hand-to-hand combat you’ll see in a martial arts film, fluid, brutal, and brilliantly choreographed. Jet Li is in top form, playing a man raised like a guard dog, trained to fight on command, and his physical performance is both powerful and heartbreaking. Morgan Freeman brings his usual quiet dignity as the piano tuner who helps him rediscover his humanity, and Bob Hoskins is suitably slimy as the crime boss who controls him. On paper, it’s a solid, emotional action drama with a compelling premise. The story (about trauma, identity, and reclaiming your voice) is actually quite strong, and there are moments of real tenderness, especially in the scenes between Jet Li and the young girl who teaches him simple human things. But here’s the problem: the quiet moments, the emotional beats, the dialogue scenes, they drag. They’re too slow, too flat, and often feel like dead air between the action. You keep waiting for the next fight, because that’s where the film truly comes alive. When it’s punching, it soars. But outside the ring, Unleashed struggles to maintain momentum. It’s not badly made, and it’s got heart, but the pacing saps the energy. Worth watching for the fight scenes and a few touching moments, but only just.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2005 | Watched: 2025-09-01
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More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
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