DVD Review: Unleashed (unrated)
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::Movie review
I've been a fan of martial arts movies since I was about 11 years old. As you can imagine, I'm pretty familiar with the formula of the genre. One of the things that keeps bringing me back to these films is the intricate and sometimes spectacular fight choreography.
Unfortunately, the "been there, done that" moments these days tend to out-number the truly original fights. This is why it's refreshing to encounter a film like Unleashed that transcends the genre by offering a story that is more than simply a prop around which to stage the fight sequences.
Don't get me wrong, though, the fights in Unleashed are great. For one thing, you have Jet Li, one of the most dynamic stars ever within this genre. For another, the choreography is by Yuen Wo Ping (a legend in the genre, but most widely known to American audiences for staging the fights in The Matrix films). However, the character of Danny (Jet Li) could have been reduced to an un-stylized brawler and this still would have been a good film.
Unleashed opens with Bart (Bob Hoskins) attempting to get money from a gang of men. Bart is a small-time gangster and these men don't have the money. Bart, however, has a secret weapon: Danny. Danny, you see, is an attack dog and Bart is his owner. Like any good attack dog, Danny obeys his master without thought or hesitation. He is single-minded in his destruction of any foe before him. His trigger is his collar, which is the film's most ingenious invention.
It becomes clear that Bart has "owned" Danny for a long time. It's also clear that Danny has been the victim of a lifetime of torture and abuse. Bart makes him live in a cage, where is only belongings are a tattered stuffed animal and a kindergarten reader. Danny wears rags and his meals consist of uncooked Spaghetti-O's that he scoops from the can with grubby fingers. And always, Danny wears the collar. He has been conditioned to be docile when the collar is on, and to kill whoever his master says when the collar comes off.
As abused dogs are prone to do, Danny eventually escapes his master and is found by Sam (Morgan Freeman), a blind piano tuner. Sam knows that there is deep trouble surrounding Danny, but he also knows better than to pry. Sam takes Danny into his home, where he and his stepdaughter, Victoria (Kerry Condon), attempt to befriend and help him.
Danny proves that although he is uneducated, he is not unintelligent, and just like the canine variety of abused dog, he quickly flourishes in an environment of love. He begins to understand that there is much more to the world than living in a cage and beating up his "owner's" enemies and he soon has a life changing revelation: "I don't want to hurt people anymore."
Inevitably, Bart comes looking for his prized dog. In the process, Danny is transformed from a dog who fights on command, into a man who fights to protect his loved ones. The difference is immeasurable, but can be defined by one word: choice.
The character interaction between Danny, Sam and Victoria are what really elevate this film. Yes, these scenes prolong the gap between fights, but that isn't an issue. Danny's development into a human being, and the love that grows within him for his new family help to lend urgency and desperation to his final confrontation with Bart and his cronies.
The version of Unleashed that I'm reviewing is the unrated edition. However, according to the Internet Movie Database, the running time is exactly the same as the theatrical version. So either the unrated version only contains a handful of seconds worth of extra footage, or some footage has been recut. This disc also includes an extended version, which primarily adds some extra choreography to the fight scenes.
I don't want to close this review without mentioning Jet Li's performance. Traditionally, the stars of this genre are hired more for their martial arts prowess than their acting skills. It's a given that Jet Li is a spectacular martial artist, but this film really demonstrates that there is much, much more to this actor than kicks and punches. All the more impressive is that he is believable and effective even while acting in a language he only recently learned. He showed a lot of potential in The One, and he fulfills it here in Unleashed.
Unleashed was written by Luc Besson, who is skilled at wrapping interesting characters and stories around otherwise action-oriented films (he also is responsible for Leon , a.k.a. The Professional). I expected that I would enjoy seeing Jet Li in action. I was surprised to discover an engaging and compelling story.
::Video
When directors choose to intentionally make their films dark and grainy, it gives us reviewers fits. It's tough to accurately sort out what was intended and what wasn't regarding picture noise -- especially if we didn't get a chance to see the film in theaters. In an attempt to err on the side of the intentional, I'll say that this transfer looks pretty good for what it is. Colors are muted and, as I said, the overall image is rather grainy. However, detail is sharp and the contrasts are strong and offer up plenty of dark level detail.
I didn't notice any compression problems or excessive edge enhancement.
It is worth noting that the picture quality of the "extended" scenes does suffer, both in terms of compression and because they are not anamorphically enhanced.
::Audio
The audio on this disc is presented in both a dobly digital 5.1 and a DTS track. Overall, I found both tracks to be mixed a little heavy on the bass, which gives the soundtrack an unnatural quality. Surround effects, however, are good and front-to-back and left-to-right panning seemed smooth and transparent.
::Special Features
There really aren't a lot of extras on this disc.
First up is Director Louis Leterrier: Unleashed, which is a 5 minute discussion with the director about his motivations for making the film and his vision for Luc Besson's screenplay.
Next is Serve No Master, which runs about 10 minutes and is all about the fight choreography by Master Yuen Wo Ping.
The Collar Comes Off runs nearly 13 minutes and is more of an overall behind-the-scenes featurette, complete with interviews with cast and crew.
Finishing things up are a couple of music videos.
::Bottom Line
Unleashed is one of those films that likely didn't do as well as if could have, probably due to poor marketing. Billed as a martial arts film, and headlined by Jet Li, a well-known martial arts action hero, it's likely that a number of people passed on this film who might otherwise have been drawn in by the intriguing story. Yes, there are spectacular fight scenes, but don't exist at the expense of a solid story and that makes all the difference in the world. For what it is, Unleashed is a great, entertaining film.
| Movie |  |
3.5 / 5 |
| Video | |
3.5 / 5 |
| Audio | |
3 / 5 |
| Extras | |
2.5 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | |
0.5 / 5 |
| Unleashed is a violent film that just isn't well-suited for the younger crowd. The teens may enjoy it - as long as they don't go in just expecting mindless action. | ||
| Overall | |
3 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Universal Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release:
2005
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Anamorphic Widescreen
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS
Running Time:
102 minutes
Director:
Louis Leterrier
Stars:
Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, Bob Hoskins, Kerry Condon
MPAA Rating:
Unrated
Disc Supplements:
- Director Louis Leterrier: Unleashed featurette
- Serve No Master featurette
- The Collar Comes Off featurette
- Massive Attack music video
- RZA music video
