|
Cast:
Jet
Li
Morgan
Freeman
Bob
Hoskins
Kerry
Condon
Action:
Yuen
Woo Ping
Writer:
Luc
Besson
Producer:
Luc
Besson
Steve
Chasman
Jet
Li
Director:
Louis
Letterier
Score:
 
|
DANNY
THE DOG
AKA:
Unleashed
Year:
2005 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
Ever
since 'Danny the Dog' was announced, I have followed its
production with much interest. The inclusion of such
accomplished and respected actors; Bob Hoskins and Morgan
Freeman, coupled with the promise of brutal fight choreography
by Yuen Woo Ping had enhanced my anticipation. This
anticipation recently began to turn into apprehension, as
firstly the name was changed for some territories into
'Unleashed', presumably to make it more catchy and appealing
to the American market. Secondly, the release of the film has
been regularly delayed and is now available on region 3 DVD
before it has even made it onto UK cinema screens. These are
usually signs that the quality of the film is less than
certain.
Thankfully,
I need not have worried. I have no problem in saying that this
is easily Jet's finest English language film. It is also
possibly his best modern day role, outdoing the likes
of Hong Kong counterparts; 'My
Father is a Hero' and 'High
Risk'. I still feel that Jet's greatest moments have been
in period pieces such as 'Once
Upon a Time in China' and 'Fong
Sai Yuk' and this is likely to remain the case. However,
here it shows that he can not only still produce a fine,
grounded, physical performance, but he can actually hold his
own on a purely dramatic level.
As
a story, 'Danny the Dog' is more interesting than first
imagined. I fully expected the plotline of Danny being a
trained bodyguard, literally kept like a dog on a leash since
childhood to be a transparent excuse to put fight scenes into
a film. This is obviously partly true, but, whilst exploring
the reasons for Danny's pseudo-imprisonment and his obvious
trouble re-integrating socially, we get to see the emotional
aspects of Jet's personality shine in a way so annoyingly
restricted in his more recent films. Jet is an awesome
physical performer, but there is so much more to his overall
screen charisma that has helped make him an international
star.
It
is probably true to say that most people who intend to see
Li's films are as interested in the action sequences as they
are in the characters. In this area, I have to admit to being
slightly disappointed. My expectations were clearly sky-high
after hearing that Yuen Woo Ping would be working with Jet
again after almost a decade. Woo Ping is responsible for
arguably Li's finest hour with 'Fist
of Legend' so perhaps my expectations were a little
unrealistic, however, the fights here are not up to the same
standard. I have often felt that although Hong Kong
choreographers can do great work on Western films, without the
time afforded their Eastern counterparts, and the quality of
the Chinese stunt performers they often pale in comparison.
The same is true here, as although the choreography is neat,
and the performers very able, nothing compares to the
fearlessness, sublime fluidity and speed with which the Hong
Kong stuntmen from the last 20 years are capable.
Nevertheless, the action on show is brutal, bloody and often
balletic.
Jet's
next feature is likely to be a Chinese production with Jet
playing the legendary Fok Yun Gap. Hopefully, he will return
to Hong Kong permanently, as with 'Danny the Dog' I believe he
has reached as high a note as he is likely to with the
restrictions placed upon him by Western studios. At least now
he can return proud in the knowledge that he has easily been
the most successful Hong Kong export with a much higher
quality level of output than even the likes of Jackie Chan or
Chow Yun Fat.
I
heartily recommend 'Danny the Dog' (or 'Unleashed' depending
on your location) to almost everyone - even those who are not
fans of martial art films or Jet Li in particular, as this is
a production that could stand on its own as a purely dramatic
exercise. It is not without it's faults, as some may feel it
is a touch melodramatic or even a little too short, however,
it is still a touching film which manages to show everything
Jet has to offer from his likeable, shy persona to his
impressive physical grace.
|
