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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "UNLEASHED" (2005) (Jet Li, Morgan Freeman) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Extreme Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Heavy None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Extreme Minor Heavy Moderate Extreme NOTE: This review is for the R-rated version of the movie, not the un-rated version (which will not be reviewed according to our long-standing policy of not re-reviewing director's cuts, special editions or unrated releases of previously rated films). QUICK TAKE: Action/Drama: After a life of serving as a gangster's lethal enforcer, a man wants to stop hurting people once he's free from his master and experiences the real world. PLOT: In the streets of Glasgow, Bart (BOB HOSKINS) is a feared gangster who possesses a powerful tool that he uses to make sure those who owe him money pay up. It's not a big gun or other such weapon, but rather a human killing machine otherwise known as Danny (JET LI). Having adopted the martial arts expert off the street when he was just a boy, Bart has trained him much like a dog, including the use of having him wear a collar. When it's on, Danny is a peaceful and subservient man-child, but when it's taken off and Bart gives the orders, Danny unleashes a brutal fury on whoever his target might be. On one of their latest stops, Danny is told to wait before storming in as the enforcement. While in his passive mode, he encounters Sam (MORGAN FREEMAN), a friendly, talkative and blind piano tuner whose calm and pleasant demeanor works its magic on Danny. As does the piano Sam's working on that elicits long repressed memories of his childhood and some tragic, pivotal event from it. When Danny doesn't respond in time to Bart's signal to come in, the master isn't pleased with his "dog," although a new development - battling in fight-to-the-death matches with various brutes -- suddenly puts him back in good graces with his boss since Danny's guaranteed victories mean big bucks for him. Yet, another unexpected development sets Danny free. He then seeks out Sam who ends up taking him back to his house where the now mousy man-child meets Sam's 18-year-old stepdaughter, Victoria (KERRY CONDON), who's going to school in Glasgow from New York. The two don't ask any questions about Danny, his previously sheltered existence or the collar around his neck. Instead, they view him as family and proceed to teach him about the outside world and its various trappings. When Bart and his minions reenter the picture and want Danny back as their lethal killing and money-making machine, however, Danny finds himself having to fight for his newfound life and liberty. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into martial arts films and/or are fans of anyone in the cast, they just might (with teenage boys being the most likely attracted to it). WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong violent content, language and some sexuality/nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JET LI plays the sheltered slave to Bart who's used as a lethal "attack dog" on those his master doesn't like, wants to intimidate or would like killed. He does injure and kill many people under orders from Bart or in defending himself, but eventually doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore. MORGAN FREEMAN plays the blind piano tuner who lives in Glasgow so that Victoria can go to school there. He takes in Danny, shows him kindness and teaches him the ways of the world. He briefly uses some profanity. BOB HOSKINS plays the callous gangster who uses Danny as intimidation to collect money owed him and then later as an underground fighting contestant. He uses strong profanity, fools around with various women, enslaves Danny and generally has no redeemable qualities. KERRY CONDON plays Sam's 18-year-old stepdaughter who takes a liking to Danny and also teaches him the ways of the world. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated action flick. Profanity consists of at least 29 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, while a man is seen on two different occasions acting sexually toward a woman (we see bare breasts both times, as well as some clothed/partially clothed sexual positioning, but no intercourse). A fully nude woman is seen in the shower, while we also see some life-sized and plaster nude sculptures of women. Violence consists of a plethora of martial-arts based fighting, with many incredibly brutal and severe blows (punches, kicks and more) delivered to opponents, badly wounding or killing them (often accompanied by bone-breaking sounds). Other characters are beaten badly (by clubs and more, including bashing heads to floors, etc.), while others are shot and wounded or killed. Much of that violence has varying degrees of bloody results, with some of it being rather graphic in nature (notably a woman being shot in the head), and those scenes and other moments of peril may be unsettling or intense for some viewers. Some kids may be enticed to try to imitate some of the fighting and other stunts that take place in the film. All of the villains have extreme bad attitudes, some characters drink or smoke, and a boy (in a flashback) sees his mother be murdered before him (while a teenager mentions that both her parents are dead). Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that during a thunderstorm. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, many of the fighting sequences involve lots of camera movement that might elicit such a reaction in some viewers. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Bart describes a dream he had where some women brought him drinks in a coconut. Bart drinks from a bottle and a woman with him appears to be intoxicated. Bart states that he wants a pint (of beer) but we never see that occur. Bart drinks some liquor. A man asks Bart if he wants some champagne, but nothing comes of that. We see cigarettes and booze in a supermarket. A woman talks about a drunken piano tuner from sometime in the past. Bart's goon drinks what looks like a beer. BLOOD/GORE Danny has some blood down his face following an attack on others. Later, that blood is still there and some of that drops down onto a book he's holding. Bart's face is rather bloody after being beaten by several men. Bart and another guy have blood on their face after being beaten. A guy has some blood on his face. Put in a cage fight death match, Danny rapidly hits his larger opponent several times in the neck, fatally wounding him (blood flows from his mouth and he collapses to the floor). Some men are bloody following a car accident and then being shot with machine gun fire. Danny's hand is very bloody and he collapses to the floor in what looks like a pool of blood (or dark water). We later see the scar of a bullet wound or grazing on his skin. Two men fight in a death match, with one punching the other and then breaking his neck (with a little blood from the dead man's nose). Danny has a little blood from his nose during a fight. Some men are bloody following a bad car crash, including Danny who has blood on his face then and afterwards. We see a flashback to a man shooting a woman in the head, killing her (seen in slow motion, with a brief shot of a lot of blood spurting out right then and then on her head as she lies dead on the floor). During a fight, Danny bites a man on the chest through his shirt (drawing blood). Bart has some blood on his clothes. Bart has a lot of blood in his mouth across his teeth after being beaten up. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Bart is a gangster who enslaves Danny as his lethal enforcer that he uses to get payment from his debtors or to attack his rivals. Bart constantly belittles and threatens Danny when the latter disappoints him. We learn that a guy runs fight to the death matches for others' entertainment and wants Bart to enter Danny in the contests. Danny runs into one of Bart's goons who treats him in a demeaning fashion. Bart becomes incensed when Danny announces that he doesn't want to hurt people anymore (telling him, "I'll have your balls on a stick"). He and his goons later try to kill Danny. Bart refers to Danny as "You little retard" and later says, "You're a dog...my dog." Bart tells Danny about the latter's mother, "I screwed her every day...I mounted her like the bitch she was." FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material (particularly the very brutal and intense fight sequences). Victoria wants to remove Danny's collar, but he's very hesitant and nervous about that (and we worry that he might snap when it's off as previously occurred under Bart's control). In the end, nothing bad happens. We see a flashback to when Danny was just a little boy. A knock on the door makes his mom hide him in the closet where he watches what next transpires. Men come in, with one nuzzling at her neck until she bashes him over the head with a small vase or something similar. A man then shoots her in the head, killing her (seen in slow motion, with a brief shot of a lot of blood spurting out right then and then on her head as she lies dead on the floor). Danny (as that kid) then rushes out and attacks one guy, but is then restrained. Danny hides Sam and Victoria in a small area, knowing that Bart and his goons are arriving. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Clubs/Knives and other blades/Various items used in martial arts fighting: Used to threaten, wound or kill others or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*cking beast," "F*cking wanker," "What the f*ck?" "F*ck you," "Suck a f*cking *sshole," "Shut the f*ck up," "For f*ck's sake," "What f*cking use are you?" "F*ck it," "Stop breathing down my f*cking ear," "Whole thing turned to sh*t," "Piece of sh*t," "I'm getting too old for this sh*t," "You little sh*t," "He's not worth sh*t," "That man could talk some serious sh*t," "Chubby" (erection), "Shut up," "(Sick) Bastard," "Get in bitch," "Beat the crap out of me," "Piss," "You're starting to piss me off," "Kicks butt," "Like a good little bitch," "I'll have your balls on a stick," "Bloody," "You little retard," "Whore," "Will you shut your yap?" "Clever little bastard" and "You're a dog...my dog." All of the fighting, stunts and other physical action might be enticing for some kids to imitate. A "cage fighter" smashes two large blocks/rocks against his own head to psyche himself up. Danny belches after eating. A miscellaneous man has what look like tattoos on his face. JUMP SCENES A big truck suddenly smashes into a car, forcing it across the road. A fist suddenly bursts through a door. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of action-based and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 29 "f" words, 8 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("screwed"), 1 for breasts ("t*ts"), 3 asses (2 used with "hole"), 3 craps, 2 hells, 1 S.O.B., 1 wanker, 3 uses of "Jesus" and 2 uses of "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY Bart describes a dream he had where some women brought him drinks in a coconut and then rubbed their "t*ts" across his face. Some comments are then made about his goons with him having erections from the story, including use of the term "chubby" for that. Bart wants to have sex with a woman and focuses his camera on her cleavage. He's then behind her, but she then lies down on a vehicle and exposes her bare breasts. He removes her panties and she comments on liking seeing who she's making love to. He says he doesn't and throws her down to the floor where he gets behind her (in a rear entry position -- he's clothed, she's partially clothed), but she spots Danny down below them in a cage and races off. Bart asks Danny if he wants anything, and then says "How about a woman?" and then adds, "You've never had a woman." Victoria enters Danny's room in her nightgown and sits on his bed. She then slowly takes off his collar before kissing him on the neck. She then leaves and nothing else happens. We briefly see some photos of a scantly clad woman with a man. We see Bart fooling around with another woman whose bare breasts are briefly seen before she flees upon seeing Danny. Bart tells Danny that the latter's mother was a "whore" and explains that she had sex for money. During a fight, Danny ends up in a bathroom where we see a woman showering (we see her bare breasts, a full sideways nude shot of her, and then her holding the partially transparent shower curtain over her nude body). We briefly see classic style, full-sized art sculptures that show female nudity (breasts and a full frontal view of one). Bart tells Danny about the latter's mother, "I screwed her every day...I mounted her like the bitch she was." SMOKING A few minor and miscellaneous characters smoke in a few scenes. We see cigarettes and booze in a supermarket. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Victoria mentions that both of her parents are dead. Danny asks if she misses her mom and she says she does. Danny then replies that he doesn't remember his. We see a flashback to when Danny was just a little boy and saw his mother shot in the head before him as he hid in a closet. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The slavery motif on display (with Danny wearing a collar, and being the slave to his master, etc.). Getting a second chance at life. How Bart could have trained Danny to act the way he does (on command, etc.). Repressed memories. We see a flashback to when Danny was just a little boy and saw his mother shot in the head before him as he hid in a closet. VIOLENCE Bart unleashes Danny on some men, followed by all sorts of brutal and severe punching, kicking and other harsh contact (including head butts, jumping on a back, bone breaking sounds and bashing a guy's head repeatedly to the floor). One then tries to shoot Danny, but he slams a table back into the guy. Danny kicks one guy backwards. We see a guy flying out through a closed window (from Danny presumably throwing or kicking him out through it). Bart goes to intimidate some men for money, but when they realize Danny won't attack until his collar his removed, they grab Bart and another man. They then proceed to kick and repeatedly strike Bart with clubs, bloodying him. He eventually grabs one, and beats the guy with a club before unleashing Danny on the others. Danny then proceeds to deliver various brutal/severe blows, kicks and other contact to various men (including a severe blow to a head on a table and various bits of property damage). When he's done, Bart goes over and steps down on a guy's crotch, causing him pain. A "cage fighter" smashes two large blocks/rocks against his own head to psyche himself up. Put in a cage fight death match, Danny rapidly hits his larger opponent several times in the neck, fatally wounding him (blood flows from his mouth and he collapses to the floor). A big truck suddenly smashes into a car, forcing it across the road. Men then open fire on the car with machine guns, riddling it with bullets and seemingly killing two of the three people inside (one gets out, wounded, and one of the apparent dead ones is later seen alive). Danny has a flash nightmare that includes a brief gunshot. Danny wakes up with a jolt from a nightmare and bangs his head on the headboard. Some men chase another man into a supermarket, beat him up and then throw him into a drink case before running out. We see a brief flashback image of Danny punching a man in the face. Two men fight in a death match, with one punching the other and then breaking his neck (with a little blood from the dead man's nose). The dead man is then lifted from the "cage" via a cable around his foot. Bart pushes Danny down into a pit for a "cage fight" against another man who comes at Danny with punches and kicks (and drives Danny's face back to some barb-wire on the wall). Danny defends himself but doesn't fight back. Thus, the promoter throws an ax-like object down into the pit, with the opponent then swinging it at Danny, ripping the front of his shirt. The two then struggle over that, with more hitting and kicking. The man forces Danny back into the barb-wire, with more opponents (including one woman) jumping down to join the fight against him. One man picks up Danny and throws him, while he's also held upside down and kicked by various opponents, including one who kicks him across the room. Danny fights back, but must contend with various weapons (poles, spears, mallets, etc.) being thrown into the ring and defending himself from attacks using them. He barely avoids a mallet strike that blasts the wall behind him, but jabs a spear into the man's foot (no blood). He then hits, kicks and otherwise strikes the others with severe blows, including with a mallet that he uses to bash one person and then another person's arms (with all sorts of bone crunching sounds). Angry spectators then throw bottles at Bart who becomes so fed up that he pulls out his handgun and shoots the original opponent dead. Mad at Danny for not fighting, Bart punches him in the face, holds a gun to his head and then coldcocks him on the face with that gun. A goon then tosses Danny down some metal stairs into his holding cage. Danny grabs Bart by his neck brace. Danny grabs the steering wheel from the back seat, struggling with the driver over control of the car. It sideswipes various parked cars before going airborne and landing on his roof, badly injuring those inside. We see a flashback to when Danny was just a little boy. A knock on the door makes his mom hide him in the closet where he watches what next transpires. Men come in, with one nuzzling at her neck until she bashes him over the head with a small vase or something similar. A man then shoots her in the head, killing her (seen in slow motion, with a brief shot of a lot of blood spurting out right then and then on her head as she lies dead on the floor). Danny (as that kid) then rushes out and attacks one guy, but is then restrained. Bart holds a gun on a supermarket owner to make her talk. Danny fights a man and breaks one of his limbs (we see the action and hear the sound). He then fights many more men with all sorts of severe punches, kicks and other blows while avoiding them attacking him with chains and other such implements. During this, he jumps and lands hard on one man's crotch, while kicking two men out through a closed window. The fighting occurs in various rooms and areas, with one of Bart's goons shooting at Danny with two handguns. Danny must then avoid a man swinging a large blade at him (it slices off part of his hair in one swing). That man knocks Danny out a window where he grabs hold of a laundry line, with the man throwing the blade at Danny, barely missing him, but cutting the line that falls (but Danny swings over to a wall). Danny fights a man inside the tight quarters of a bathroom stall, with both delivering all sorts of severe punches, kicks and other blows to each other. During this, Danny bites the man on the chest through his shirt (drawing blood). Danny kicks a man out a window, and tries to hold onto his clothes, but he slips from Danny's grasp and falls several stories before crashing onto the roof of Bart's car. Bart fires a handgun (that shoots like a machine gun) at Danny. Bart's assistant shoots at Danny, with others shooting at him moments later. Bart holds his gun on Danny. Danny hits and kicks a villain, bloodying him before pinning him to the floor and starting to choke him. Sam tries to talk Danny out of finishing the deed (with the villain goading him on to do so) and eventually hits the villain over the head with a flower pot, knocking him out (and thus silencing him). Reviewed May 10, 2005/ Posted May 13, 2005

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