Was "Unleashed" (a.k.a. "Danny The Dog") cut in its US release version?
05-12-05, 06:09 PM
#1
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Was "Unleashed" (a.k.a. "Danny The Dog") cut in its US release version?
I just came back from seeing Unleashed and I wonder if it was cut down in its US version.
Anyone know?
Spoiler:
Anyone know?
Last edited by RocShemp; 05-12-05 at 06:14 PM.
05-12-05, 08:06 PM
#4
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Thanks, harosa. Is it known if the French cut will be available on the US DVD? If the answer is no, is this film already available on DVD in France?
And sorry, ChirsKnudsen. I forgot that although films begin on Thursdays in Puerto Rico they begin on Fridays in the continnental US.
And sorry, ChirsKnudsen. I forgot that although films begin on Thursdays in Puerto Rico they begin on Fridays in the continnental US.
05-12-05, 09:17 PM
#6
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Yes, I said so in the other thread (once I remembered it existed). But seeing as that thread was more about anticipation of the film, I didn't want to put any spoilers in it.
05-12-05, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by harosa
The director has said in interviews that the French cut is more acting oriented while the US cut leans more towards action.
05-12-05, 09:46 PM
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Funny thing is that there's more acting than action in the US cut. Loads more. This is in no way an action film. It's structured like Léon. There's lots of character developement and interaction but it happens to be bookended by really exciting action sequences. So what we got was very good.
But I am curious about the French cut to see what was left out as certain things really needed to be fleshed out a bit more.
But I am curious about the French cut to see what was left out as certain things really needed to be fleshed out a bit more.
05-12-05, 09:48 PM
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Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt
This is a French film?
05-12-05, 09:51 PM
#11
Originally Posted by RocShemp
Yup. Though it happens to be filmed in English, it's a French film (similar to the situation with Blueberry).
05-12-05, 10:02 PM
#12
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Yeah, the action-heavy trailers are very missleading. As I stated in the other thread, what action there is, though in scant quantities, is fantastic. Among the best Jet Li has done in a very long time. The best of it is, although he's presented as a supreme badass, he can get his ass kicked by stronger opponents and swarms of enemies do not attack in turns. So it's nice to see Jet Li as a mortal even though he's still the badass of the film.
But the film is actually very quirky. It has that Luc Besson style of being funny, endearing, and thrilling at the same time without feeling contradictory or disjointed (geez I wish he'd direct again!). It's not only better than all of Jet Li's American fare, it's better than all of Jet Li's american fare by leaps and bounds.
Also, Morgan Freeman is quite excellent in this as is Bob Hoskins (though his screentime is very limited). They even got Jet Li to act and he was very good as well. Sure, he's no Morgan Freeman but boy did I not expect to watch what is essentially a Jet Li acting vehicle and walk away enjoying his performance as well as his physical prowess. Even in Hero his acting wasn't really put to the test as it is in this film.
But the film is actually very quirky. It has that Luc Besson style of being funny, endearing, and thrilling at the same time without feeling contradictory or disjointed (geez I wish he'd direct again!). It's not only better than all of Jet Li's American fare, it's better than all of Jet Li's american fare by leaps and bounds.
Also, Morgan Freeman is quite excellent in this as is Bob Hoskins (though his screentime is very limited). They even got Jet Li to act and he was very good as well. Sure, he's no Morgan Freeman but boy did I not expect to watch what is essentially a Jet Li acting vehicle and walk away enjoying his performance as well as his physical prowess. Even in Hero his acting wasn't really put to the test as it is in this film.
05-12-05, 11:36 PM
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Because of the missguided assumption that all Americans are knuckle-dragging idiots that can't handle plot in movies that star Jet Li?
But seriously, if the attempt was to make the US cut more action oriented, it still felt more of a character piece than an action film.
But seriously, if the attempt was to make the US cut more action oriented, it still felt more of a character piece than an action film.
05-12-05, 11:49 PM
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Originally Posted by RocShemp
Also, Morgan Freeman is quite excellent in this as is Bob Hoskins (though his screentime is very limited).
Hoskins has more screentime than Freeman.
I said it before in the other, proper thread: Damn fine film. The best release this weekend.
05-12-05, 11:56 PM
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Quite the reverse. Hoskins is at the beginning and toward the end but I felt Freeman appeared more. Heck, that whole sequence about teaching Danny about food and home life were longer than any of Hoskins' scenes.
05-13-05, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by RocShemp
Quite the reverse. Hoskins is at the beginning and toward the end but I felt Freeman appeared more. Heck, that whole sequence about teaching Danny about food and home life were longer than any of Hoskins' scenes.
But I'll let other people who see the film this weekend decide for sure.
05-13-05, 08:46 AM
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Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt
Is there anything else coming out this weekend? Seems like a real slow week.
MONSTER-IN-LAW
KICKING AND SCREAMING
MINDHUNTERS
05-13-05, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by scott shelton
Well, I disagree.
But I'll let other people who see the film this weekend decide for sure.
But I'll let other people who see the film this weekend decide for sure.
05-13-05, 02:02 PM
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I caught a screening of Unleashed today. I was very impressed. Li is fantastic, his performance is one of the best I've seen in a while. The action is brutal! I especially loved how the punches and kicks sounded real, they just sounded like this was really happening and it made the believeability work very well. I swear it looked like Jet was really beating the shit out of these guys. Morgan is great as always, but Hoskins really steals the show, much like Gary Oldman did in Leon. This is the best action movie I've seen in a long time. 
to everyone involved!
Grade: A
to everyone involved!Grade: A
05-13-05, 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by RocShemp
I just came back from seeing Unleashed and I wonder if it was cut down in its US version.
Anyone know?
Spoiler:
Anyone know?
Spoiler:
My other problem, was that I thought Freeman just did a pretty lousy job acting blind. He kept looking at people when he talked & you could see in some scenes his eyes through his sunglasses looking right at peope's faces, which blind people don't do. Its just a nitpick though, Freeman is so damn likeable it didn't ruin the film for me.
It's definitely lightyears ahead of anything Li has done in the States so far. It's a fantastic vehicle for him, & he really upped his acting ability. And I loved the brief close corters fight in that narrow hallway with the bald goon at the end of the film. However I thought the fights overall could have been MUCH better. This type of movie grounded in a character piece, should not have had wire-fu in it. The fights would have been much better just using Li's actual martial arts skill.
But I definitely felt that Hoskins had way more screen time than Freeman did. In fact significantly more, so I don't really know why the one guy said Freeman was on screen more.
And yes, Hoskins was good in this, but tt's almost the same character he played in The Long Good Friday, just a bit more over the top.
Last edited by Sessa17; 05-13-05 at 07:03 PM.
05-13-05, 04:04 PM
#24
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Originally Posted by RocShemp
Because of the missguided assumption that all Americans are knuckle-dragging idiots that can't handle plot in movies that star Jet Li?
But seriously, if the attempt was to make the US cut more action oriented, it still felt more of a character piece than an action film.
But seriously, if the attempt was to make the US cut more action oriented, it still felt more of a character piece than an action film.
05-13-05, 06:55 PM
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just saw it and was a bit dissapointed. action scenes were great, though extremly over the top(some parts seemed like really violent power rangers). i hated the step daughter and the whole middle of the movie with morgan freeman teaching Jet Li how to live didn't work for me. Some good stuff, but overall, just didn't get me going much.