Unleashed Review

Bob Hoskins is Bart, a nasty piece of work who rules the streets of Glasgow with violent glee, using his secret weapon, Danny - Jet Li. Danny has been raised from childhood as Bart's prisoner and trained to attack and kill. When Danny meets blind piano tuner Sam, Morgan Freeman, he experiences his first taste of compassion and music. A gangland attack separates Danny from Bart and he takes refuge in Sam's house, but Bart is not going to lose his enforcer without a fight. Unleashed is another example of Besson's frequent preoccupation with combining extreme violence and domesticity. Like the assassin in The Professional tenderly caring for his pot plant, Jet Li's, Danny softens with the sound of the piano and the love of a family. Li's performance in these domestic scenes is stilted, it's a tough role for any actor, let alone a martial arts star. But as expected, he excels during the superbly choreographed fights. You'll find similarities with Fight Club, but Unleashed is a poor cousin with a strong odour of melodrama.