Unleashed

Martial-arts superstar Jet Li gives an inspired performance here as a man-child raised in a cage by a vicious loan shark and trained for one Pavlovian purpose: to attack debtors like a dog when his master (Bob Hoskins) removes the collar kept around his neck. Director Louis Leterrier (The Transporter), master fight choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping, and the ever-limber Li serve up several raw fight scenes, but this is ultimately a character-driven story, and Li rises to the occasion when a twist of fate sets him free with no skills for coping in the real world. Scared and confused, Li is taken in by a blind piano tuner (Morgan Freeman) with a sweetly gawky 18-year-old stepdaughter (Kerry Condon), and his humanity begins to emerge in well-written scenes that perfectly balance his character's wide-eyed innocence and newfound joy with the violent impulses that lurk uncomfortably in the dark recesses of his battered psyche. Unleashed has some clumsy moments, but its fine performances (Hoskins' twisted father figure is a brilliant villain) and strong filmmaking lift it high above the genre norm. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include the 13-minute behind-the-scenes featurette “The Collar Comes Off,” the fight sequences featurette “Serve No Master” (10 min.), an interview with director Louis Leterrier (5 min.), the music videos “Unleash Me” by The RZA (3 min.) and “Atta Boy” by Massive Attack (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a better-than-average action flick.] (R. Blackwelder)