Unleashed
Focus Features | Release Date: May 13, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
11
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
Bounding out of the gate like a greyhound, Unleashed needs only its first 30 seconds or so to elevate itself well above the average action potboiler. Read full review
80
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
One of the best Sunday Afternoon action flicks since the glory days of Schwarzenegger. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
The most enjoyable film Besson has had his name on in eons. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Pierre Morel's diving, spiraling camera keeps pace with Yuen Wo-ping's rapid-fire fight choreography, all smartly directed by Louis Leterrier. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The simple, unpretentious storytelling of Unleashed is a rarity in the glut of underwritten and overproduced action films that dominate American screens today. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Ingenious in its construction. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
When Danny takes off his collar for the last time, Besson's plan becomes clear: You may have paid for an hour and a half of escapist entertainment, but he just provided something much better. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
The infinitely silly, unconscionably entertaining action film Unleashed earns most of its juice from the martial-arts star Jet Li. Read full review
70
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Pathos isn't a cheap gimmick when it comes from the soul, and Li knows how to channel it, through his brain, his limbs and his heart. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeFore
An action picture with the emotional simplicity of a bedtime story, painted in the grimy colors of the London underworld. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Besson doesn't need dialogue to convey his worlds' nuances, because there are none, especially in Unleashed, which achieves such a sustained pitch of hysteria that it makes past masters of melodrama like Douglas Sirk, John Woo, and Sam Fuller look positively austere by comparison. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Unleashed suffers from a surfeit of sentimentality at times (blame Besson for that), but it's Li's first major Western role of any depth and he acquits himself admirably as both mad dog and melancholy master. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Li is action poetry in motion. Damn them for spoiling our popcorn fun with salty tear-jerking. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
Ultimately, the movie doesn't make it, but there's enough going on to make it more arf than barf. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
A preposterous mix of sentiment and brutality that casts martial-arts star Jet Li as a music-loving killing machine, turns out to be his most entertaining movie in quite some time. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Unleashed serves two masters, each one disappointingly: It's a brutal series of over-amped fights, and it's a touching story of human nature at war with itself. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
While Bresson's insistence on juxtaposing brute force with sublime grace isn't subtle, it is effective. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The film contains enough quiet, reflective moments for us to become aware how preposterous the central conceit is, and that keeps us at arm's length. Read full review
60
VarietyLisa Nesselson
Slick transitions and punchy pace leave just enough time for Hopkins and Freeman to make dopey dialogue sound far smarter than it is. And as both pit bull and puppy dog, Jet Li convinces. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
Unleashed is like an old dog: No new tricks. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerDavid Hiltbrand
Freeman and Hoskins lend the film a level of artistry it doesn't really deserve. Unleashed has a vivid concept, but savagery and sentimentality make strange costars. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The film's bizarreness pales next to that of little-known exploitation film "Sonny Boy" (1990), which weaves similar material into something authentically nightmarish. Read full review
50
Washington PostRichard Harrington
A little less conversation, a lot more action, please. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
In its defence, the movie means to incorporate Jet's conversion into its theme, serving up his new pacifism as a choice morsel of irony. But it doesn't taste ironic, just bland, and we aren't biting either. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Doing nothing special, Freeman manages to make the picture seem wiser, funnier, and more eloquent than it is. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
The movie never recovers from its cheesy center. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Only Kerry Condon, as Freeman's geeky adopted daughter, plays anything approaching a realistic character. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Includes a few scenes of impressively choreographed mayhem, but they're all but buried in Freeman and Condon's mystical grandpa and weirdo teeny bopper routines. Read full review
40
EmpireOlly Richards
A promising idea that never develops beyond that. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Luc Besson's screenplay is dumb, but has just enough weird touches to give occasional glimmers of interest. Read full review
10
Village VoiceBenjamin Strong
Cloying dreck. Read full review
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