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Unleashed

Play trailer Poster for Unleashed R 2005 1h 42m Action Crime Drama Adventure Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 126 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Crime boss Bart raises orphan Danny with no knowledge of anything other than how to fight, using him as an enforcer when debts must be collected. Planning to enter Danny into a fight tournament and retire with the prize money, Bart disappears after a deadly drive-by shooting. Danny flees and takes shelter with piano tuner Sam. Away from Bart's abusive control, Danny learns how to live like a human and begins investigating his past.
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Unleashed

Unleashed

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Critics Consensus

Jet Li gets to emote in some emotionally awkward scenes, but the gritty fight sequences come through in what is Li's best English language film.

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Critics Reviews

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David Germain Houston Chronicle Jan 7, 2006
An intriguing little action thriller, a half-and-half story divided between sequences of vicious violence and quiet, wryly comic scenes of newfound domesticity. Go to Full Review
Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness Nov 3, 2005
B+
Benefits from an unabashedly sentimental heart. Go to Full Review
Paul Arendt BBC.com Sep 27, 2005
3/5
There's a lot to enjoy in Unleashed. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Jul 1, 2023
Though over 40, Li has a boyish presence, like a lost innocent enjoying his delayed childhood, while his action scenes are jaw-dropping. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com May 31, 2021
3/5
...Unleashed is a gritty underworld fable with a over-qualified cast, plus a strange streak of sentimentality and some Glasgow striking locations... Go to Full Review
Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News Nov 18, 2019
B-
As thrilling as it is goofy. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jacob B @JB3.0 Aug 3, 2026 Better than I expected. The fight sequences are fun but where the film really shines is in the drama, with a genuinely good performance from Jet Li. Not that he was a bad actor in other English-language films, but the material he's given doesn't always give his characters much room for depth. Sure, it's hardly an unpredictable narrative given the "rediscovering humanity" premise but Louis Leterrier still did a good job directing the script Luc Besson gave him to work with. Bob Hoskins also did a really good job in his role and I certainly wasn't expecting the film's use of match cuts. Doing fun scene transitions before Edgar Wright made them cool with Hot Fuzz. A well-done action drama that's probably Jet Li's most underrated English-language* film to date. *Important distinction: like Kiss of the Dragon, this flick is French, not American. It is a EuropaCorp/Luc Besson production after all. See more
Mads G @RT55503416 Nov 9, 2025 Great performance, funny yet sad and serious. Classic in my book. See more
Edgar M @RT57292481 Mar 16, 2025 This Is a really good action-drama movie. Nice script and amazing choreography fights. And a great cast as well. See more
TWMax65 T @RT38199094 Jan 25, 2025 I really like most of Jet Li's movies. The way he fights and moves and how the sequences are shot/directed are really entertaining and impressive, and I do martial arts myself and really like it. He has always been a big source of inspiration to me and this movie held my attention most of the time and was pretty good. The main critique I have with it was that it slowed down a bit too much in the middle when he got connected with and close to Morgan Freeman's character and the girl before the henchman found him again in public. It went on a bit too long without any action occurring for what felt like 45 minutes. In the end though, it was not only pretty awesome for its fights but it had a sweet touch to it too. I'd recommend it! See more
wiliam T @RT47624308 Aug 30, 2024 um filme bom, mais com um roteiro ruim,o tio dele era pra ter morrido 2 vezes e sobreviveu nas duas,e como assim um cachorro humano?? See more
Georgan G @RT98616417 Feb 7, 2024 Pretty good, as martial arts action films go. See more
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Unleashed

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Cast & Crew

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Louis Leterrier

Director

Jet Li

Danny

Bob Hoskins

Bart

Morgan Freeman

Sam

Kerry Condon

Victoria

Michael Jenn

Wyeth

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Unleashed

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Movie Info

Synopsis Crime boss Bart raises orphan Danny with no knowledge of anything other than how to fight, using him as an enforcer when debts must be collected. Planning to enter Danny into a fight tournament and retire with the prize money, Bart disappears after a deadly drive-by shooting. Danny flees and takes shelter with piano tuner Sam. Away from Bart's abusive control, Danny learns how to live like a human and begins investigating his past.
Director
Louis Leterrier
Producer
Luc Besson, Steve Chasman, Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Jet Li
Screenwriter
Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Current Entertainment
Rating
R (Nudity|Language|Some Sexuality|Strong Violent Content)
Genre
Action, Crime, Drama, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 13, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.5M
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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