Ahh, I remember the first time I sat down to watch Unleashed. It was with an ex-boyfriend (spoilt the mood a little but ah well), and I was 16 I think... anyway, I can't remember anything other than those facts... so I'll remember the next time I watched it... or just any other time I watched it.
Right in the first few seconds of the opening credits, we see the famous collar from the film that symbolises everything that binds Danny to his violent background and to his Owner/Uncle Bart; we also get close ups of Danny's eyes and ears as well as very focused sound. The first lines "Get 'em" are so simple yet effective, and so vital to the film, that the whole essence of that first minute immediately grips its audience, right onto the ping of the collar, another indicator of pure, amazing violence.
After the ping, we see a brilliant fight scene by Jet Li, started off with a straight kick into the chests of two men. We see the sheer power that Jet Li exerts, and raw instincts which is symbolic to the whole idea of Danny being treated as an attack dog instead of a human... (I found this idea so intriguing that I did a whole investigation on the language used in the film for my A Levl English Language Coursework... we'll see how well I did for it, but I really enjoyed watching the film, over and over, and over...)
From the word go, the film is put down as a psychological action-thriller, ingenious in structure and choreography, and it has everything that Jet Li fans desire (well it did for me, and I'm a huge fan), despite the focus on the psyche of Danny.
The character of Sam was an interesting one, as originally, he wasn't meant to be blind, but Morgan Freeman (who plays him), had the idea that making Sam blind would make it easier for him to 'see' the child in Jet Li's character of Danny, and not the brutal killer that he really is... and this is the main focus of the film, for we are meant to see how Danny, although trained to become a killer, has the mind of young, frightened child.
Throughout the film, no matter who I've watched it with, there have been times where the room's been full of laughter one minute, then gasping, then enthralled by a fight scene, or then deadly serious the next. The film, although it features some amazing martial arts scenes, focuses more on the storyline and the development of Danny, and the relationships he has with those around him. Also, how he is saved... by music.
The film has a struggle for power over Danny, through Sam and Bart, one being the father, the other being the master. The way the writers used language to show this struggle is brilliant and it keeps the audience gripped and it makes you care about who wins over Danny.
The sound effects during the fight scenes, where in some films sound utterly ridiculous and weird, in this film are so realistic, you really believe the characters are killing each other, and Yuen Wo-Ping's brilliant choreography tops it off.
For the first time, the lucky audience is witness to Jet Li's true acting. Jet Li seems to have taken the film to heart, as he is a true believer in one of the morals behind the film. Jet Li being a Tibetan Buddhist is strictly against violence, and this film portrays the fight between humanity and violence, as well as the struggle for power through friendship or through pure violence and manipulation.
Being a martial arts film fanatic, I purely advise those who are enthusiastic that though there are few fight scenes, they are purely some of the best, and most realistic, and the most enthralling, out of the many (and that is a lot) martial arts films I have ever seen. The cast was brilliantly picked, each actor plays their character to the maximum potential, and to this day, 'Unleashed' remains my all-time favourite movie.
Sam: You okay?
Danny: She kissed me!
Sam: Yeah, she does that. How was it?
Danny: [pauses] Wet.
Emily Russell
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The views in this article are in no way meant to offend or upset any of the intended audience, they are strictly the views of the author.
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