Danny the Dog

I dreamed about a movie like this when I was a teenager. Too bad it only came out now. Unleashed is a rarely seen combination of an effective drama, a simple action premise, excellent fight choreography and French charm. We see Jet Li as finally humanized and relatable, Morgan Freeman plays his most typical mentor role and Massive Attack provides the music. (26.11.2007)

A classic, quality, but no longer surprising Jet-Li action flick, poorly masked by a higher message in the form of unquestionable ideas about the need for friendship, love and the fact that the right family is always a support. Had it stayed with just that message, led by the always great Freeman, it would have been a great film. But combined with the breaking of all possible limbs, it's another Made by Besson single-use piece of crap. (24.10.2005)

A nice surprise in the form of Jet Li's introvert stylization, decent content, which was particularly reinforced by Morgan Freeman, and of course brilliant choreographies, in which Jet Li's main talent - martial arts - stands out. If I take away the fact that this film is mentally exhaustive and predictable in its plot, Unleashed remains an intelligent and well-filmed spectacle that is more than just an action film. Leterrier quite pleasantly combined the features of Hollywood action with European slowness and harsh humor. (24.04.2006)

A picture full of clichés that works thanks to the original directing, the actors, the modest running length and decent pace, despite it being a rather obvious variation on Léon: The Professional. The alternation of “intimate" sequences (although we have seen this a hundred times already) with action works pretty well, but unfortunately they don’t seem to belong to the same movie, which is also the greatest problem with this movie. And although there isn’t much action, what there is is worth it. (05.08.2005)

Amélie from the gritty corners of Glasgow, or the perfect combination of the fierce style of young French directors at the turn of the millennium and the fantastic action choreography of the Hong Kong masters in an enchantingly naive and aggressively brutal action fairy tale, which as a European high-concept blockbuster is also wonderful historical evidence of the peak of production achieved by Besson’s Europa Corp., as no one else has ever put together such a diverse mix of niche-hip names (Massive Attack, RZA, Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, Bob Hoskins, Luc Besson, Yuen Woo-Ping). (22.08.2020)

Solidly made, with a very simple screenplay and a restrained message (about family, friendship, and love). I appreciate the minimal use of slow-motion shots and computer effects, which proves how good Jet Li truly is in martial arts, but the quality of the action is far from from his best – Jet Li will probably never be surpass the unbeatable Lethal Weapon 4. The French school is noticeable, and the whole film has a rather European style, but this action flick feels too simple and conservative to me. (31.08.2005)

Well, either fucking make an urban combat movie or a sentimental sweetness about life. The filmmakers just don't know, because if they wanted to make the former, the middle part would look a little different and at least be interspersed with some of that dismembered corpse stuff, and if the latter, the fights would be limited to a scene where Jet Li takes out a giant fighter in an arena (pretty funny, by the way). As it is, it's a mixture of drawn-out fights, cute sentimentalism, and unpalatable kitsch. Plus lapses in logic. Either that or the rest of the bad guys in the penultimate scene are out of contract after the boss dies. (19.10.2010)

"Off the chain" is one of those movies that I wanted to see a long time ago, but I only got around to watching it recently, in the last week. That's what happens when you're looking forward to something, but you just don't have the time or the film doesn't come to you and you don't make it to the cinema. The story immediately captured my interest, especially because it was at a time when I believed in Besson. Danny, played by Jet Li, is a man who was raised like a dog. He has a collar, and when it is released, he becomes a killer. Once the collar is put back on, he becomes obedient again. Of course, he is not raised by a peaceful family, but by a mobster who wants to make a name for himself in the underworld. Bob Hoskins, who I will always associate with the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", returned to the film in a larger role. In "Off the chain," he portrayed a mafia boss, a truly negative character, but not a strong villain, rather weak. His gangster is a weakling who needs gorillas around him. Although he can sometimes get out of a fight, without Danny he would have been dead a long time ago, which also happens to him in the end. Danny escapes from the bullet-riddled car and finds himself in the care of a blind piano tuner played by Morgan Freeman. This is an actor who never disappoints and is always great. Again, this holds true, and so you can easily trust him as a mentor, which he becomes for Danny. Jet Li does a perfect job in both the action scenes where he is unbeatable, and in moments when some acting is needed. "Off the chain" is one of those small great films that touch you, get you fired up, and captivate you. Besson only wrote the screenplay, but he had a great idea that works. It is exactly one of those movies that he can put his name on with pride and be proud of. Not all of his movies are like this, but this one can easily be ranked alongside "Leon" or "The Fifth Element." More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/zitra-nehrajeme-lovci-dinosauru.html (01.03.2013)