Danny the Dog (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Louis Leterrier

Writer (WGA):

Luc Besson (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Music | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Serve No Master

Plot:

A man raised into behaving like a dog, escapes from his captor to start a new life, who seeks to reclaim him because of his unnatural martial arts skills that are triggered when unleashed.

Plot Keywords:

Collar | Fight | Dog | Piano | Fight Club

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jet Li	...	Danny
Morgan Freeman	...	Sam
Bob Hoskins	...	Bart
Kerry Condon	...	Victoria
Vincent Regan	...	Raffles
Dylan Brown	...	Lefty
Tamer Hassan	...	Georgie
Michael Jenn	...	Wyeth
Phyllida Law	...	Distinguished Lady
Carole Ann Wilson	...	Maddy
Mike Lambert	...	The Stranger
Jaclyn Tze Wey	...	Danny's Mother
Puthirith Chou	...	Teen Danny
Tony Theng	...	Little Danny
Owen Lay	...	Baby Danny

Also Known As:

Unleashed (Australia) (Philippines: English title) (UK) (DVD title) (USA)
Danny the Dog (France) (Hong Kong: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violent content, language and some sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

France | USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Finland:K-15 | Taiwan:R-12 | Argentina:16 | Philippines:R-13 | Brazil:16 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | USA:Not Rated (unrated DVD version) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | Portugal:M/16 | Norway:18

Filming Locations:

Blackfriar's Bar, Merchant City, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Europa Corp.

Trivia:

The role of Sam was written for Morgan Freeman. He was the first and only choice to play the character.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Bart is being beaten by thugs near the beginning of the film, you can see the padding on his stuntman's back.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bart: Get 'em!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Intergalactic Combat (2007)

Soundtrack:

Aftersun

a new direction

So in the last few years we have seen Jet Li in Romeo must die and Cradle to the grave, both modern and with Jet Li approaching the subject of acting, though hardly touching it. So far Jet Li has not acted he has merely been that kung fu guy, another Bruce Lee.

But here, we see him act, not for just five minutes when there is a break in the fighting, but for the entire film. At times there is over half an hour between any kind of fighting, and it is very much appreciated. We really see a different side of Jet Li, this is not 'you killed my master; I have come to avenge him'. But a new, modern martial arts film, where we have a plot we can believe in.

Bob Hoskins takes a nice dramatic turn here, 'that man sure can talk', as Danny's 'owner' and it's a gangster role that suits him well. His angry growl is both fearsome and less put on but unleashed.

But don't get me wrong here; this is still a martial arts film. You'll find yourself cringing and laughing from fright at the fight scenes. Jet Li is not a sleek, showy performer here, but real fighter, intense and scary in his brutality. But equally brutal is the realisation of human freedom and human nature, in some ways were all somebody's dog.

Danny the Dog is clearly Jet Li's best work, and hopefully marks a new direction for him, one I am very much looking forward to seeing.