Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases


Unleashed (2005)

Director: Louis Leterrier

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Dickensian sentiment meets head-pummelling martial arts action in this gleefully absurd concoction from writer-producer Luc Besson. Jet Li's scary destructive powers are soon in evidence as he beats sundry low-lifes to a powder whenever his Glasgow crime-lord master Bob Hoskins unhooks his studded collar and lets him off the leash. He is, in effect, a human pit-bull, an orphan trained since infancy to inflict pain without reason. Until, that is, circumstances separate him from his ‘owner’ and he’s given shelter by blind piano-tuner Morgan Freeman. Might the tinkling of the ivories soothe this savage beast and reclaim his humanity? Yes, ‘Unleashed’ sounds beyond parody, yet somehow it neither takes itself too seriously nor makes fun of the material. While the kinetic direction and Li’s lightning-fast reflexes deliver suitably crunching fight sequences, the leading man also touchingly suggests the innocent child beneath his fearsome exterior, in a performance which stands comparison with the surprisingly alert work of his illustrious co-stars. And it’s hard not to have a soft spot for a movie which balances axe-swinging, bone-snapping mayhem with a key role for a classical piano repertoire.

Author: TJ

Time Out London Issue 1826: August 15-24 2005


What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields




Most popular on this site


Top Stories

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?

The 10 worst date movies

The 10 worst date movies

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas

10 unlikely badboy biopics

10 unlikely badboy biopics

Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing