Unleashed is a surprisingly entertaining actioneer that manages to rise above it's silly, simplistic premise. It's well choreographed and the acting is uncharacteristically good for a film of this nature.

In this ultra violent thriller, Jet Li is Danny, a slave of sorts who transforms into somethingof a pit bull whenever his domineering owner Bart (played with devilish glee by Bob Hoskins) snaps free a collar wrapped around his neck. When "Unleashed" (usually to do Bart's dirty work), Danny becomes a lean, mean killing machine who will not stop until his victim is dead or at least extremely unhealthy. When an awful tragedy befalls Bart, Danny is left to fend for himself, and this leads him to Sam (played by Morgan Freeman), a gentle blind man who shows him a kindness he's never known.

What surprised me most about Unleashed was it's dramatic impact. I found myself caring for Danny, and wanted desperately to see him break free of his violent life. Once Sam and a young woman name Victoria (played by Kerry Condon) enter his life, the film takes on a sweet, domestic sort of attitude that was most unexpected. Of course, by the second half of the film, Unleashed turns into an ultra violent action picture again, but with a little dramatic weight behind it.

Jet Li is extremely effective as the sweet but aggressive Danny. Yes, Li is an amazingly gifted physical performer as is evident in the numerous, masterfully crafted action scenes, but it is his quieter moments that are worth noting. There's something heartbreakingly sad about those eyes, and I was affected by Li in a way I wasn't expecting. I even bought into the strange, underlying sexual tension that develops ever so briefly between he and Condon.

Bob Hoskins is an absolute creep here, but an extremely likable creep. This is a huge departure from the roles he's most known for (i.e. Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mona Lisa). Hoskins' Bart is a despicable human being in Unleashed, but he injects this role with a ferocious energy and he's hilarious to boot. There's a terrific scene in which Bart is nearly beaten to a bloody pulp. He isn't able to "Unleash" Danny in time to assist him in a deal gone bad, so he's forced to get out of a scrape on his own. As a pack of thugs beat on him without mercy, Danny just stands there looking on in a near comatose state. Rest assured however, Bart quickly proves that Danny doesn't need to fight all of his battles for him. He's got some skills of his own.

Unleashed was written by Luc Besson, a film maker who is no stranger to the world of crime and violence (after all, he directed The Professional). As is often the case with his films, he infuses an over the top sensibility with a sense of real drama and a bizarre kind of sweetness. As an end result, Unleashed is immensely entertaining, even if it does sort of degenerate into a derivative action film in the final act. By the end of the picture, Danny is forced to engage in underground fighting matches that brought back nightmarish visions of Jean-Claude Van Damme's hilariously dopey Lionheart.

Unleashed reminded me of everything from a Guy Ritchie movie to an 80's Cannon Film production (albeit with a lot more class), and while it can't help but turn into a standard action picture in it's final act, it has a enough heart and creative action sequences to make it worth recommending. Kung Fu Hustle it ain't, but it sure beats the hell out of XXX: State of the Union.