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 | 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:

Fight | Collar | Dog | Blind | Piano

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

Colour:

Colour

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:

Morgan Freeman's character Sam was at first not blind at all. After hearing from a piano school for the blind (with a very high reputation, and where the scholars developed their hearing), Freeman had the idea of making his character blind because like this it is easier for Sam to "see" the child in Jet Li's character, and not the brutal killer.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the fight with the man in white, while they are in the bathroom, the holes they make in the wall appear and disappear between shots, most noticeable during the missing head-butt.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bart: Get 'em!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Lindsay Lohan/Coldplay (#30.20)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Entertainer

What a difference from Li's previous Films!!!

But I mean that in a very good Way. Well first off all of you going into this Movie expecting a Martial arts festival, I have to disappoint you. This Movie focuses More on the dramatic Storyline, then rather on spectacular Fights. Nonetheless very impressive Fights are in the Movie, it is the Storyline between Danny (Li), Bart (Hoskins), Sam (Freeman) and Victoria (Condon) that keeps you in the Movie. This Movie is mainly a Drama/Martial Arts Movie and no Crime/Action/Thriller like IMDb shows you. Honestly I haven't seen much Hosking's movies in the past, but believe me the main Reasons that keep you into the Movie are very fine Performances from Jet Li and Bob Hoskins. Both of em are wonderful. Another plus to this Movie are the Sound effects. They are realistic as Hell. In most of the Fight Movies you hear some weird sounds coming when they hit one another; well this one were so brutally real that I thought wow they are killing each other out there. The Fights are few but very spectacular and somewhat brutal. The first two Fights are excellent because they are shot very realistic and with a fast paced camera, the last Fights are more graphical and slowly filmed. But as I watched the first two Fights I was impressed how everybody involved in the Fight Sequences, did such a wonderful Job on letting them look brutal and realistic. Every time Li hits somebody I sat there feeling the brutalized Hits, which let's you get the feeling that you're in the Fights (Not Literally but it lets you feel the Hits). Louis Leterrier did a very good Job filming this Movie. The Fight Scenes are not too quick, so that you can see everything and the Dramatic Scenes are shot with the right Amount of Heart to keep the Spectator engaged in the Movie. But be Aware after the first two Fights, is a great Hole which is filled with 40-50 Mins of Storyline, which didn't bother me, but I can imagine that People will go into this Movie expecting something like Romeo must die, Twin Warriors or Fist of Legend they will be heavily disappointed, because this Movie focuses more on it's engaging Storyline. So please enter the Theater with this in Mind and you will LOVE this Movie. One Thing actually bothers me that is the American way of promoting the Movie. As always they will promote the Movie as one of Li's new Martial Arts Festival, with non-stop ass kicking from Li but Please always keep in Mind, Li is more acting than fighting in this Movie!! It is a Drama with Martial Arts Elements in it. Don't be fooled by American Distributors!!!!!!!!