| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Unleashed (HD DVD)
Universal // R // August 15, 2006 // Region 0
List Price: $34.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Luc Besson's Léon: Version Integrale is 
one of two responses I typically spout off whenever I'm asked what my favorite movie of all time is, and Besson's script for Unleashed is in some ways a cross between Léon and a martial arts-driven Hong Kong action flick. Both Léon and Unleashed are character dramas masquerading as action movies, each anchored around a laconic trained killer who's humanized by a young girl. Hell, both movies even build to a head at a siege on an apartment building.
Unleashed was released throughout much of the world as Danny the Dog, as descriptive a title as any. Danny (Jet Li) is an animal, barely capable of speech, draped in filthy, shredded clothing, sleeping in an oversized cage, and shoveling fingerfuls of food into his mouth directly from a can. Danny shuffles around with his head hung low as his 'owner', Cockney thug Bart (Bob Hoskins), totes him around while making the collection rounds. Whenever one of his reluctant clients makes a fuss, Bart releases the metal collar around Danny's neck and unleashes the feral beast that lurks inside. Danny has been raised since childhood to kill and maim everyone in sight whenever his collar is removed, but a chance encounter with a blind piano tuner
(Morgan Freeman) in an antique store sparks a passion for music and makes him feel human for the first time. After thinking his master dead in a spray of machine gun fire, Danny hunts down his new friend and is taken in by Sam and his teenaged stepdaughter Victoria (Kerry Condon) as some families would a pathetic stray dog off the street.
Danny has the muscular frame of a human weapon but the heart and mind of an innocent child, and he doesn't immediately take to a traditional domestic life. He's reluctant to step out from under his bed, let alone stroll outside the warm comfort of Sam and Victoria's Scottish flat. Danny is gradually reintroduced to the world, with Sam explaining the finer points of grocery shopping and awkward music student Victoria indulging Danny's fascination with the piano. Even with the long stretches that can pass between the high-octane action sequences, the sweetness of these moments coupled with the strength of the performances make them breeze by; Unleashed may have a hundred minute-plus runtime, but it feels closer to half that. Still, the action formula can't let Danny escape from his past quite so easily, and Bart inevitably resurfaces to reclaim his attack dog.
Limited to sparse, largely monosyllabic dialogue, Danny communicates his thoughts and feelings primarily through facial expressions and body language. I'm not used to seeing Jet Li act, but he rises to the challenge, shaping an infantile character with an underlying sweetness who lives in fear that he could snap at any moment. Li hasn't abandoned the incendiary martial arts explosions that made him a household name, though; the fight choreography by Yuen Woo-ping (Kill Bill; The Matrix; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is a swift and brutal ballet dance. Inhumanly fast and almost like something torn from a Saturday morning cartoon, the contrast between these spectacularly violent attack sequences and the quieter, more character-driven moments is intriguing and is largely responsible for defining the movie. (One welcome change from most action movies...? When Danny is pitted against a small army of foes, they don't make the mistake of trying to take him on one at a time, and the best assault in the movie has Danny avoiding his opponent rather than attacking head-on.) The
rest of the cast does an admirable job as well. Morgan Freeman and Kerry Condon contribute the heart of the movie, and although Condon can be a bit grating in some of her earliest scenes, she quickly finds her footing. Just as Gary Oldman's scenery-chomping made for the most memorable performance in Léon, Bob Hoskins' villainous turn as the unrestrained, Cockney-tinged Uncle Bart makes the deepest impression.
Léon isn't in any danger of being unseated as one of my favorite movies by Unleashed -- some of its central conceits are too far out there to really embrace in quite that same way, and the structure is more predictable and formulaic -- but I still really enjoyed it. There's more depth to Unleashed than a traditional action movie, standing out as not just one of the best of the genre on HD DVD to date, but with the juxtaposition of a Mozart sonata and a deathmatch with an oversized hammer, certainly the most unique.
Video: Unleashed is the second combo release from Universal, and for the uninitiated, that means a 1080p 2.40:1 high-definition presentation is offered on one side of the disc with a standard definition version that'll function in any traditional DVD player on the other. Unleashed is a heavily stylized film, with black levels that lean towards a navy blue or muddy gray and a palette that's generally bathed in a cold, metallic blue. The scope image is crisply defined and boasts a remarkable level of fine detail; the extreme close-ups in particular look fantastic, and the increased resolution high-definition video offers highlights the grit and grime throughout Bart's lair and Danny's tattered clothing. Airings on cable were marred by pixelation in the more hyperkinetic action sequences, but there are no such concerns here, nor could any real flaws of any sort be spotted. A strong effort from Universal.
Audio: The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio is every bit is impressive, with an aggressive multichannel mix that roars to live during
the action sequences and is bolstered by tight, punchy bass that accompanies every kick, punch, and gunshot. The character-driven stretches of the movies are understandably more timid, but I'm not left with any complaints. A stereo dub in Spanish is also provided alongside subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
Supplements: The handful of extras are limited to the DVD side of the disc and really don't warrant more than a few words in passing: just a generic promotional EPK, a brief, lightweight interview with director Louis Leterrier, and music videos from Massive Attack and The RZA. Nothing of any real interest.
Although Universal has done a solid job of releasing only unrated cuts of films on HD DVD (Pitch Black, Doom, The Chronicles of Riddick, and the upcoming Land of the Dead, for instance), Unleashed is only available in its R-rated version on both sides of this disc. From what I've read, the differences between the two cuts are negligible, but it's still mildly annoying to discover that the HD DVD release doesn't offer everything I can get on DVD.
Unleashed is packaged in the same style of HD DVD case as Universal's Animal House, featuring a squared-off spine and a latch on the other side.
Conclusion: Unleashed follows a similar path as writer/producer Luc Besson's masterpiece Léon, particularly in its deft combination of brutal violence and endearing, well-drawn characterization. The quality of Unleashed doesn't approach the same dizzying heights as Léon, but it's still an exceptional action/drama and is worth discovering on HD DVD. Highly Recommended.
Standard image disclaimer: The images in this review were lifted from the official movie site and do not necessarily reflect the appearance of this HD DVD.
one of two responses I typically spout off whenever I'm asked what my favorite movie of all time is, and Besson's script for Unleashed is in some ways a cross between Léon and a martial arts-driven Hong Kong action flick. Both Léon and Unleashed are character dramas masquerading as action movies, each anchored around a laconic trained killer who's humanized by a young girl. Hell, both movies even build to a head at a siege on an apartment building. Unleashed was released throughout much of the world as Danny the Dog, as descriptive a title as any. Danny (Jet Li) is an animal, barely capable of speech, draped in filthy, shredded clothing, sleeping in an oversized cage, and shoveling fingerfuls of food into his mouth directly from a can. Danny shuffles around with his head hung low as his 'owner', Cockney thug Bart (Bob Hoskins), totes him around while making the collection rounds. Whenever one of his reluctant clients makes a fuss, Bart releases the metal collar around Danny's neck and unleashes the feral beast that lurks inside. Danny has been raised since childhood to kill and maim everyone in sight whenever his collar is removed, but a chance encounter with a blind piano tuner
(Morgan Freeman) in an antique store sparks a passion for music and makes him feel human for the first time. After thinking his master dead in a spray of machine gun fire, Danny hunts down his new friend and is taken in by Sam and his teenaged stepdaughter Victoria (Kerry Condon) as some families would a pathetic stray dog off the street. Danny has the muscular frame of a human weapon but the heart and mind of an innocent child, and he doesn't immediately take to a traditional domestic life. He's reluctant to step out from under his bed, let alone stroll outside the warm comfort of Sam and Victoria's Scottish flat. Danny is gradually reintroduced to the world, with Sam explaining the finer points of grocery shopping and awkward music student Victoria indulging Danny's fascination with the piano. Even with the long stretches that can pass between the high-octane action sequences, the sweetness of these moments coupled with the strength of the performances make them breeze by; Unleashed may have a hundred minute-plus runtime, but it feels closer to half that. Still, the action formula can't let Danny escape from his past quite so easily, and Bart inevitably resurfaces to reclaim his attack dog.
Limited to sparse, largely monosyllabic dialogue, Danny communicates his thoughts and feelings primarily through facial expressions and body language. I'm not used to seeing Jet Li act, but he rises to the challenge, shaping an infantile character with an underlying sweetness who lives in fear that he could snap at any moment. Li hasn't abandoned the incendiary martial arts explosions that made him a household name, though; the fight choreography by Yuen Woo-ping (Kill Bill; The Matrix; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is a swift and brutal ballet dance. Inhumanly fast and almost like something torn from a Saturday morning cartoon, the contrast between these spectacularly violent attack sequences and the quieter, more character-driven moments is intriguing and is largely responsible for defining the movie. (One welcome change from most action movies...? When Danny is pitted against a small army of foes, they don't make the mistake of trying to take him on one at a time, and the best assault in the movie has Danny avoiding his opponent rather than attacking head-on.) The
rest of the cast does an admirable job as well. Morgan Freeman and Kerry Condon contribute the heart of the movie, and although Condon can be a bit grating in some of her earliest scenes, she quickly finds her footing. Just as Gary Oldman's scenery-chomping made for the most memorable performance in Léon, Bob Hoskins' villainous turn as the unrestrained, Cockney-tinged Uncle Bart makes the deepest impression. Léon isn't in any danger of being unseated as one of my favorite movies by Unleashed -- some of its central conceits are too far out there to really embrace in quite that same way, and the structure is more predictable and formulaic -- but I still really enjoyed it. There's more depth to Unleashed than a traditional action movie, standing out as not just one of the best of the genre on HD DVD to date, but with the juxtaposition of a Mozart sonata and a deathmatch with an oversized hammer, certainly the most unique.
Video: Unleashed is the second combo release from Universal, and for the uninitiated, that means a 1080p 2.40:1 high-definition presentation is offered on one side of the disc with a standard definition version that'll function in any traditional DVD player on the other. Unleashed is a heavily stylized film, with black levels that lean towards a navy blue or muddy gray and a palette that's generally bathed in a cold, metallic blue. The scope image is crisply defined and boasts a remarkable level of fine detail; the extreme close-ups in particular look fantastic, and the increased resolution high-definition video offers highlights the grit and grime throughout Bart's lair and Danny's tattered clothing. Airings on cable were marred by pixelation in the more hyperkinetic action sequences, but there are no such concerns here, nor could any real flaws of any sort be spotted. A strong effort from Universal.
Audio: The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio is every bit is impressive, with an aggressive multichannel mix that roars to live during
the action sequences and is bolstered by tight, punchy bass that accompanies every kick, punch, and gunshot. The character-driven stretches of the movies are understandably more timid, but I'm not left with any complaints. A stereo dub in Spanish is also provided alongside subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. Supplements: The handful of extras are limited to the DVD side of the disc and really don't warrant more than a few words in passing: just a generic promotional EPK, a brief, lightweight interview with director Louis Leterrier, and music videos from Massive Attack and The RZA. Nothing of any real interest.
Although Universal has done a solid job of releasing only unrated cuts of films on HD DVD (Pitch Black, Doom, The Chronicles of Riddick, and the upcoming Land of the Dead, for instance), Unleashed is only available in its R-rated version on both sides of this disc. From what I've read, the differences between the two cuts are negligible, but it's still mildly annoying to discover that the HD DVD release doesn't offer everything I can get on DVD.
Unleashed is packaged in the same style of HD DVD case as Universal's Animal House, featuring a squared-off spine and a latch on the other side.
Conclusion: Unleashed follows a similar path as writer/producer Luc Besson's masterpiece Léon, particularly in its deft combination of brutal violence and endearing, well-drawn characterization. The quality of Unleashed doesn't approach the same dizzying heights as Léon, but it's still an exceptional action/drama and is worth discovering on HD DVD. Highly Recommended.
Standard image disclaimer: The images in this review were lifted from the official movie site and do not necessarily reflect the appearance of this HD DVD.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||