Danny the Dog (2005)

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
Franck Xie Cheng	...	Baby Danny
Georgina Chapman	...	Floozy 1
Danielle Louise Harley	...	Floozy 2
Andy Beckwith	...	Righty
Michael Webber	...	Boxing Boss
Jeff Rudom	...	Boxing Giant
Laurence Ashley	...	Shower Woman (as Laurence Ashley Taboulet)
Alex Lawson	...	Maddy's Market Fighter
Stuart Lawson	...	Maddy's Market Fighter
Audifax Kinga	...	Maddy's Market Fighter
Eric Mondoloni	...	Maddy's Market Fighter
Vanessa Mateo	...	Maddy's Market Cashier
Alain Figlarz	...	Boss First Fight
Maurice Chan	...	Tough Man
Grégory Feurté	...	Tough Man
Amadéo Cazzela	...	Tough Man (as Amadeo Cazzella)
Emmanuel Lanzi	...	Tough Man
Affif Ben Badra	...	Tough Man (as Afif Ben Badra)
Cyrille Hertel	...	Tough Man
Santi Sudaros	...	Swimming Pool Fighter
Scott Adkins	...	Swimming Pool Fighter
Valérie Hénin	...	Swimming Pool Fighter
Sedina Balde	...	Swimming Pool Fighter (as Seydina Baldé)
Christian Bergner	...	Raffle's Thug
Patrick Médioni	...	Raffle's Thug (as Patrick Medioni)
Jean-François Lenogue	...	Raffle's Thug
Malki Attar	...	Raffle's Thug
Serge Beuchat	...	Raffle's Thug
Christophe Weyer	...	Raffle's Thug
Vincent Haquin	...	Raffle's Thug
Tarik Zitouni	...	Raffle's Thug
Joseph Beddelem	...	Jewelry Security Man
Frédéric Dessains	...	Jewelry Security Man
Carlos Bonelli	...	Jewelry Security Man
Michel Bouis	...	Jewelry Security Man
William Cagnard	...	Jewelry Security Man
Thierry Saelens	...	Jewelry Security Man
Ksénia Zarouba	...	Sales Person
Pascaline Girardot	...	Customer
Alain Barbier	...	Customer
Alain Grellier	...	Customer
Nic Stevens	...	Brute 1
Gregory Loffredo	...	Bart's Thug (as Grégory Loffredo)
Mouloud Ikhaddelene	...	Bart's Thug (as Mouloud Ikhaddalene)
Marc Chung	...	Bart's Thug
Oumar Diaoure	...	Bart's Thug (as Oumar Diaouré)
Eric Etje	...	Bart's Thug
Sylvain Gabet	...	Bart's Thug
Pierre Rousselle	...	Bart's Thug
Marc Hoang	...	Bart's Thug
Karim Hocini	...	Bart's Thug
Loïc Molla	...	Bart's Thug
Louis-Marie Nyee	...	Bart's Thug
Patrick Oliver	...	Bart's Thug
Sebastien Soudais	...	Bart's Thug (as Sébastien Soudais)
Patrick Tang	...	Bart's Thug
Michaël Troude	...	Bart's Thug (as Mickaël Troudé)
Patrick Vo	...	Bart's Thug
Frédéric Alhinho	...	Bart's Thug
Gabriel Chatelain	...	Bart's Thug
Tarick Hadouch	...	Bart's Thug
Lionel Bouvard	...	Trainer Brute (as Scott Rider)
Pascal Lopez	...	Bart's Young Thug
Pascal Lavanchy	...	Bart's Driver
Quentin Pierre	...	Concert Announcer
Vincent Tulli	...	Dead Fighter
Clara Creantor	...	Felina, Bart's Girl (as Eudes Clara Creantor)
Christelle Senechal	...	Kany Love, Bart's Girl
Isabelle Didier	...	Nomi, Bart's Girl
Gwenael Mairey	...	Angèle, Bart's Girl
Ariadna Cascaval	...	Crazy Dancer, Bart's Girl
Ludmila Henry	...	Fight Club Figure
Rebecca Hazan	...	Fight Club Figure
Hyggins Sansa	...	Fight Club Figure
Christian Gazio	...	Paramedic
Matthieu Albertini	...	Paramedic
Georges Benoît	...	Doctor
Osana Ekue	...	Wyeth's Girlfriend (as Osana Ekué)
Miguel Cueva	...	Wyeth's Aide-de-Camp
Kathy Farkas	...	Cocaine Girl, Fight Club
Friedrich Hartwig	...	Extasy Guy, Fight Club
Stéphane Gluck	...	Bookmaker (as Stéphane Glück)
Victor Izquierdo	...	Factory Security Man
Igor Joly-Erard	...	Factory Security Man (as Ygor Jolly-Erard)
Sety Diaby	...	Factory Security Man
Gilles Louzon	...	Factory Security Man
Kamel Tazit	...	Factory Security Man
Georges Bouchelagem	...	Factory Security Man
Tyana Raboana	...	Factory Security Man
Jean Atonga	...	Factory Security Man
Jamal Bellyazid	...	Factory Security Man
Serge Gnaly	...	Factory Security Man
Fred Zanolino	...	Factory Security Man
Michel Flasch	...	Factory Attendant
Iouri Zagorski	...	Factory Attendant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Silvio Simac	...	1st fighter in underground pool fight (uncredited)

Directed by
Louis Leterrier

Writing credits (WGA)
Luc Besson		(written by)

Produced by
Luc Besson	....	producer
Steve Chasman	....	producer
Bernard Grenet	....	executive producer
Jet Li	....	producer
Mehdi Sayah	....	assistant producer
Pierre Spengler	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Neil Davidge
Massive Attack

Cinematography by
Pierre Morel

Film Editing by
Nicolas Trembasiewicz

Casting by
Nathalie Cheron
Suzanne Smith

Production Design by
Jacques Bufnoir

Art Direction by
Fiona Riddick

Costume Design by
Olivier Bériot

Makeup Department
Deena Adair	....	hair stylist: Mr. Morgan Freeman (as Deena Adair Williams)
Frédérique Arguello	....	head hair stylist
Candice Banks	....	daily makeup artist: Glasgow
Florence Batteault	....	head makeup artist: second unit
Laurent Bonney	....	extra hair stylist
Laurent Caille	....	extra hair stylist
Florence Ellisalde	....	extra makeup artist: second unit (as Florence Elissalde)
Vesna Estord	....	makeup artist: extras
Christian Garcia	....	extra hair stylist (as Boris Garcia)
Catherine George	....	makeup artist: extras (as Catherine George-Wintgens)
Mathieu Gueracague	....	head hairdresser: second unit (as Mathieu Guéraçague)
Nancy Hancock	....	makeup artist: Mr. Morgan Freeman (as Nancy Worthen-Hancock)
Myriam Hottois	....	head makeup artist
Stéphane Jonckheere	....	extra hair stylist
Geraldine Kechichian	....	makeup artist: extras (as Géraldine Kéchichian)
Stéphane Robert	....	extra makeup artist: second unit
Meg Speirs	....	daily makeup artist: Glasgow (as Meg Spiers)
Frédéric Zaid	....	extra hair stylist

Production Management
Gregory Barrau	....	assistant unit manager
Eric Bassoff	....	post-production supervisor
Jean-François Chaintron	....	production manager: second unit
Peter Gallagher	....	production supervisor: UK
Marc Guidetti	....	unit manager: Scotland
Bruno Guilhem	....	unit manager: second unit
Thierry Guilmard	....	production manager
Franck Lebreton	....	unit manager: France (as Frank Lebreton)
Patrick Le Goc	....	assistant unit manager
Judicaël Noïa	....	unit manager runner

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mathilde Cavillan	....	assistant director
Stéphanie Champault	....	second assistant director: second unit
Ali Cherkaoui	....	second assistant director
Alison Goring	....	second assistant director: Scotland
Nicolas Guy	....	first assistant director
Elaine MacKenzie	....	third assistant director: Scotland
Fiona MacMillan	....	third assistant director: UK
William Pruss	....	first assistant director: second unit
Mathieu Thouvenot	....	second assistant director
Hans Titze	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Christophe Angé	....	carpenter assistant
Philippe Anselme	....	construction grip
Christel Ayrault	....	weathering painter
François Barade	....	carpenter
Bruno Barbier	....	locksmith supervisor
François Barre	....	construction grip
Didier Bautz	....	plasterer supervisor
Lahcene Bendjebour	....	construction grip
Patrick Bertron	....	plasterer
John Booth	....	additional props: UK
Gerard Bouguet	....	supervisor carpenter
Christian Bruzzi	....	upholsterer
Lionel Callari	....	property master
Tristan Carlisle-Kitz	....	stand-by props: UK
Jean-Michel Chantrel	....	upholsterer
Alain Cibrario	....	upholsterer
Bertrand Clerq-Roques	....	first assistant production designer (as Bertrand Clercq-Roques)
Alexis Coletti	....	construction grip
Marcel Daudin	....	stagehand
Serge Delli-Zotti	....	construction grip
Jean-Marc Desages	....	painter
Christophe De Vos	....	construction grip
Anne Dizeux	....	weathering painter
Thierry Doerflinger	....	plasterer
Françoise Doré	....	set dresser
Michel Doré	....	storyboard artist
Christian Dubray	....	property master: second unit
Yvan Dupont	....	painter
Philippe Durand	....	carpenter
Julien Durguel	....	assistant set dresser
Jim Elliott	....	property master
Pascal Fasola	....	painter
Patrice Fasola	....	painter assistant
Badara Faye	....	carpenter
Acacio Francisco	....	painter
Denis Gambs	....	carpenter
Michel Gendarme	....	carpenter
Johann George	....	prop buyer
Lazlo Guarguir	....	weathering painter
Alain Guenier	....	construction grip
Olivier Guerlot	....	carpenter
Delphine Guichard	....	weathering painter
Hervé Guignot	....	carpenter
Jean-Claude Guilleman	....	locksmith supervisor
Richard Guille	....	assistant designer (as Richard Guillé)
Jean Habay	....	construction grip
Yvan Hart	....	plasterer
Richard Hassall	....	stand-by carpenter: UK
Jérôme Hayot	....	painter
Pascal Houdrichon	....	construction grip
Fiona Hutchison	....	art department assistant: UK
Pierre Imberteche	....	plasterer
Bruno Izabelle	....	plasterer
Piero Jamieson	....	stand-by props: UK
Bruno Juguet	....	painter
Robert Mark Kamen	....	artistic consultant
Christian Laurent	....	construction grip
Bertrand Laval	....	construction key grip
Luc Lelong	....	plasterer
René Letteron	....	construction grip
Didier Masson	....	construction grip
Pascal Masson	....	construction grip
Carole Metzner	....	assistant designer
Matt Mooney	....	dressing props: UK
Jean-Claude Niquet	....	painter
Miguel Nougier	....	construction buyer
Carly Parris	....	art department runner: UK
Pierre Pernois	....	carpenter
Daniel Pesquer	....	construction key grip
Hervé Pesquer	....	construction grip
Jean Poinot	....	construction manager
Patrick Quartier	....	painter supervisor
Brigitte Renard	....	sculptor supervisor
Per-Olof Renard	....	first assistant production designer
Stéphane Richaud	....	construction grip
Stéphane Robuchon	....	prop buyer
Clotaire Roux	....	carpenter
Yves Roux	....	carpenter
Patricia Ruelle	....	scenic artist
Janie Ryckmans	....	upholsterer
Olivier Salesse	....	construction grip
Gérard Soussi	....	construction grip
Alain Strasser	....	carpenter
Ken Urry	....	prop buyer: UK
Jean-Michel Vaissière	....	construction grip
Nicolas Vergne	....	plasterer
Angus West	....	additional props: UK

Sound Department
Lucien Balibar	....	boom operator
Didier Cattin	....	boom operator
Samuel Cohen	....	post sync dialogue
Samuel Cohen	....	sound post-production
Capucine Courau	....	assistant sound editor
Anne Delacour	....	dialogue editor
Loïc Gourbe	....	sound recordist
Cyril Holtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
François-Joseph Hors	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dominique Lacour	....	daily sound mixer
Maud Lombart	....	assistant sound editor
Fred Mays	....	post-synchronisation
Dominique Mazière	....	assistant foley artist
Pascal Mazière	....	foley artist
Loïc Moniotte	....	foley operator
Florent Ravalec	....	sound: second unit
Vincent Tulli	....	sound mixer
Vincent Tulli	....	sound supervisor
Vincent Tulli	....	supervising sound editor
Stéphane Vizet	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Robin Beavis	....	special effects assistant: UK
Jean-Louis Bergougnoux	....	special effects technician
Hubert Devinck	....	special effects technician
Patrice Fauquemberg	....	special effects technician
François Gaubert	....	special effects technician
Michel Gery	....	special effects technician
David Harris	....	special effects coordinator: UK
Jude Harris	....	special effects coordinator
Judith Harris	....	special effects coordinator: UK
Graham Hills	....	special effects foreman
Matthew Horton	....	special effects assistant: UK (as Matt Horton)
Philippe Hubin	....	special effects supervisor
Jean-Christophe Magnaud	....	special effects coordinator
Sylvain Magnaud	....	special effects technician
Roger Maricourt	....	special effects technician
Gilbert Pelosi	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Virginie Allal	....	visual effects assistant
Romain Arnoux	....	digital artist
Catherine Athon	....	post-production coordinator: Eclair Numerique
Marie-Claire Bazart	....	digital artist
Sacha Beliaev	....	matte painter
Odile Beraud	....	scanning and recording
Jacques Bled	....	visual effects producer
Stephanie Boutinaud	....	visual effects coordinator: Eclair Numerique
Rodolphe Chabrier	....	visual effects supervisor: Mac Guff Ligne
Erwin Charrier	....	digital artist
Emmanuel Chex	....	digital artist: Eclair Numerique
Olivier Chiavassa	....	visual effects producer: Eclair Numerique
Olivier Chiavassa	....	visual effects supervisor: Eclair Numerique
Nicolas Criqui	....	assistant color timer
Rosana D'Andrea	....	scanning and recording
Thomas Delcoy	....	digital artist
Jacques Delzescaux	....	digital artist: Eclair Numerique
Antoine Douadi	....	Flame artist
Roxane Fechner	....	visual effects supervisor
Émilie Feret	....	visual effects coordinator
Thierry Flament	....	digital artist: Eclair Numerique
Yann Foillard	....	digital artist: Eclair Numerique
Sebastien Gombeaud-Saintonge	....	Flame artist: Mac Guff Ligne, Paris
Sébastien Guillot	....	scan and shoot
Christophe Keichinger	....	scanning and recording
Joyce Menger	....	digital effects producer: Eclair Numerique
David Montoya	....	scan and shoot
Frederic Moreau	....	visual effects producer
Jean-René Nébot	....	digital color grader
Ramdam	....	visual effects supervisor: Mac Guff Ligne
Philippe Reinaudo	....	technical director: Eclair Numerique
Benjamin Ribière	....	Flame artist
Marion Roger	....	digital artist
Christophe Sabre	....	scan and shoot
Gérard Soirant	....	scanning and recording
Melodie Stevens	....	digital artist: Eclair Numerique (as Mélodie Stevens)
Karim Touzene	....	digital artist: Eclair Numerique
Sofi Vaillant	....	digital artist

Stunts
Arno Balenci	....	stunt double
Philippe Guégan	....	stunt coordinator
Michel Julienne	....	car stunts coordinator
Sid Karne	....	stunt performer
Mike Lambert	....	stunt performer
Bill Little	....	stunts
Gregory Loffredo	....	stunts
Christophe Marsaud	....	stunt driver
François Mequer	....	stunt performer
Patrick Oliver	....	stunts
Patrick Robineau	....	stunt driver
Sebastien Soudais	....	stunts
Alain Vanneville	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Christophe Allain	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Christian Altiparmakian	....	gaffer
Loïc Andrieu	....	Steadicam operator
Damien Auriol	....	grip: second unit
Eric Baraillon	....	gaffer: second unit
Stéphane Birzin	....	grip
Olivier Caroff	....	electrician: second unit
Mathieu Caudroy	....	Steadicam operator
Mathieu Caudroy	....	camera operator
Julien Coquillet	....	additional grip
Adrien Debackere	....	camera trainee
Marie Decourt	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Pascal Delaunay	....	grip: second unit
Nicolas Dollander	....	Steadicam operator
Nicolas Dollander	....	camera operator
Vladimir Duranovic	....	grip
Jack English	....	still photographer
Jerome Epaillard	....	electrician (as Jérôme Epaillard)
Gilles Floquet	....	grip
Vincent Gallot	....	first assistant camera
Michel Garçon	....	generator operator
Pierre Garnier	....	lead grip: second unit
Arnaud Gervet	....	camera trainee
Bruno Gibier	....	generator operator
Jan Gagnaire Hochstein	....	grip
Océane Lavergne	....	first assistant camera
Eric Le Roux	....	camera operator (as Eric Leroux)
Philip Lozano	....	second assistant camera
Laurent Martin	....	grip
Jean-Pierre Mas	....	key grip
Khalid Meziane	....	electrician
David Morrison	....	stand-by grip: UK
Marc Nove	....	electrician: second unit (as Marc Nové)
Gil Pannetier	....	focus puller
Sebastien Pentecouteau	....	director of photography: second unit
Cedric Poisson	....	additional grip
Martial Schmeltz	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Davy Sherwin	....	electrician: UK
Niall Smyth	....	electrician: UK
Laurent Tangy	....	focus puller
Vincent Tulasne	....	video assistant
Philippe Vigier	....	electrician: second unit

Casting Department
Emma Bedford	....	extras casting: UK
Stéphane Bonneville	....	extras casting assistant
Bouchra Fakhri	....	casting assistant
Laurent Soulet	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lesley Abernethy	....	costume assistant: UK
Alain Chapuis	....	dresser
Katherine Hyland	....	costume assistant: UK
Camille Janbon	....	wardrobe master
Deidre Johnston	....	costume supervisor: UK (as Dierdre Johnstone)
Camille Joste	....	wardrobe
Michel Louzon	....	wardrobe
Carole K. Millar	....	costume supervisor: UK
Sophie Mollier	....	dresser
Tina Morel	....	dresser
Laurence Nicolas	....	dresser
Marjory Salles	....	dresser
Frédéric Tournant	....	wardrobe
Marie Trimouille	....	dresser

Editorial Department
Susana Antunes	....	post-production assistant
Nicolas Criqui	....	digital conformation
Yann Hervé	....	dailies assistant editor
Sandro Lavezzi	....	assistant editor
Walter Mauriot	....	dailies assistant editor
Jean-René Nébot	....	digital color timer
Philippe Reinaudo	....	digital intermediate technical director
Charlotte Rembauville	....	assistant editor
Benoît Soucheleau	....	dv editor
Raymond Terrentin	....	film grader
Clara Vincienne	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
Howard Drossin	....	additional composer: score
Isobel Griffiths	....	music contractor
Jérôme Lateur	....	music supervisor
Vincent Lebegue	....	music legal coordinator
Elise Luguern	....	music production supervisor
Yann McCullough	....	assistant music engineer
Craig Pruess	....	conductor
RZA	....	composer: additional music
Mehdi Sayah	....	assistant music supervisor
Lee Shephard	....	music recordist
Prodigal Sunn	....	playback singer
Gavyn Wright	....	orchestra leader

Transportation Department
Scott Dunlop	....	runner driver
Robert Gaskill	....	driver: Mr. Freeman
Ghislain Le Guisquet	....	picture car
Olivier Suffert	....	production driver: Bob Hoskins

Other crew
Candice Abela	....	assistant: Mr. Louis Leterrier
Odile Balme	....	production coordinator
Janine Barrientos	....	production accountant
Charles Bodycomb	....	supervising armorer: UK
David Broder	....	location manager
Christian Burdet	....	technical advisor: piano
Sarah Carswell	....	production secretary
Frédéric Cauvy	....	weapons advisor
Shumai Chou	....	set translator
Mel Churcher	....	acting coach: Jet Li
Richard Cohee	....	stand-in: Mr. Freeman
Marie Danis	....	assistant production accountant
Donatienne De Corostarzu	....	script supervisor
Aleksander Dembinski	....	assistant: Mr. Steven Chasman
Valéria De Vita	....	additional production secretary
Mark Devlin	....	production coordinator: UK
Winston Emano	....	publicist
Kennedy Forsyth	....	location manager: Scotland
Andrew Gardiner	....	floor runner: UK
Anna Graham	....	assistant production coordinator: UK
Jim Hajicosta	....	production accountant
Stewart Hamilton	....	set production assistant: Scotland
Carol-Anne Henderson	....	daily floor runner: UK (as Carol Anne Henderson)
Elizabeth Hurley	....	production accountant: UK
Robert Mark Kamen	....	creative consultant
Gavin Kinnaird	....	daily floor runner: UK
Robbie Kirkpatrick	....	floor runner: UK
Ming Beaver Kwei	....	assistant: Mr. Jet Li
Rodolphe Lanaro	....	location manager
Lucie Launay	....	production secretary
Sandra Louisin	....	script trainee
David Magdael	....	publicist
Layla Mall	....	production assistant
Colette Martin	....	assistant production accountant
Mark McGhee	....	assistant location manager: Scotland
David Meanti	....	assistant: Mr. Li
Jennifer Meunier	....	coach: Ms. Kerry Condon, USA
Siobhan Nolan	....	production runner: UK
Sammy Pasha	....	assistant: Mr. Bob Hoskins (as Sam Pasha)
Quentin Pierre	....	assistant: Mr. Morgan Freeman
Sarah Portal	....	production accountant
John H. Price	....	on-set interviews
Sascha Robey	....	assistant armorer
Carolina Schmollgruber	....	piano coach: Ms. Kerry Condon
Oona Spengler	....	unit runner
Françoise Thouvenot	....	additional script supervisor
Julie Vasconi	....	script supervisor
Julie Vasconi	....	script supervisor: second unit
Simon Weston	....	location assistant: UK
Woo-ping Yuen	....	martial arts choreographer (as Yuen Wo Ping)
Paul Zieleniec	....	floor runner: UK

Production Companies

• Europa Corp.
• Danny the Dog Prods Ltd.
• TF1 Films Production
• Qian Yian International
• Current Entertainment
• Clubdeal
• Canal+

Distributors

• EuropaCorp. Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Focus Features (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rogue Pictures (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Festive Films (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• 01 Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Asmik Ace Entertainment (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• EuropaCorp. Japan (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Moonlight Films (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Nordisk Film Distributors A/S (2005) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (2005) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classic Entertainment (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Gussi Artecinema (2005) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Cinema Vision (2005) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Tien (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Mac Guff Ligne (visual effects)
• Éclair Numérique (digital special effects)

Other Companies

• Alter Ego  dubbing
• Angel Studios  music recorded at
• Audio Factory  sound editing
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Cinécool  end titles
• Circle Crew Ltd.  wire technology
• DCA Audiovisual  sound transfers and synching
• Digital Factory  music mixed at
• Digital Factory  sound editing and mixing
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• M.O. Pour Mot  adr (as Mot Pour M.O.)
• Massive Attack Studios  music recorded at
• Technovision  camera equipment provided by
• Transpalight Ltd.  electrical equipment
• Urban Marketing Corporation of America (UMCA)  field publicity
• Virgin Records  soundtrack released by

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:

Bob Hoskins actually cut Jet Li's hair at the start of the movie, as his character would have done it in the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Danny sits in the car with Bart and the other companions he pulls the steering wheel and they flip over. While they are flipping over you can see a plate on the bottom of the car (possibly for the stunt), but in the next scene you see the car on its back missing the plate.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bart: Get 'em!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

L'amour est enfant de Bohème

Surprises never cease, Unleashed is the best action film I've seen in years.

Rating: **** out of ****

If I'm always skeptical of Jet Li's English-speaking films, it's for good reason. They're usually crap. Too often, he's either been put in the hands of incompetent directors who couldn't properly film or edit his impressive martial arts abilities and/or he's teamed alongside a cast that includes one rapper too many. It also didn't help that these movies were poorly written and acted, failing to work as either a showcase for Li's moves or his charisma. So it's all the more satisfying that Unleashed goes through its entire running time without succumbing to any single one of these flaws.

Jet Li stars as Danny, a fully grown man with the mind of a child who is a literal slave/pet to Bart (Bob Hoskins), a Glasgow mob boss who keeps Danny in a cage and uses him as a form of "persusasion" to those who owe him money. Like a dog, Danny wears a collar, shy and seemingly dumb whenever it's clasped around his neck, but a ferocious killer once he's unleashed.

After a mishap with another criminal, Bart and Danny are left for dead, leaving an injured Danny to crawl to a warehouse where he's taken under the wing of kindly blind piano tuner Sam (Morgan Freeman) and his stepdaughter, Victoria (Kerry Condon). Starting over with a clean slate, Danny comes to enjoy his new life and loving family; no longer is violence or cruelty something he must face everyday. But fate hands him an unlucky turn when he's forced to confront Bart, finding no choice but to give in to his violent side one last time.

The film's premise, that of a violent man finding a better life, is nothing new but rarely have I seen the simple but effective premise delivered so well and with such genuine heart. To my immense surprise, it's Jet Li's performance that anchors the film, showing us a side of corrupted innocence and child-like enthusiasm that is sweet, moving, and occasionally even quite humorous. The transformation and natural maturity Danny undergoes is engaging, and it's to no small measure of Li's performance that we hope Danny can entirely shed his former life even when we know it'll inevitably catch up with him.

Li is surrounded by a fantastic cast with great actors Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins pulling their own weight. Freeman delivers as always, playing the kindly authority figure with firm but gentle resolve. Hoskins is over-the-top but suitably so as Bart, whom we're quite sure is complete scum, yet one can't dismiss the fact that he holds Danny in a certain esteem, and that he may actually be the only person in the world Bart cares for, however twisted a manner he chooses to show it. Relative newcomer Kerry Condon is cute and appealing, although she could just as easily have won me over with that great smile of hers.

As a kick-ass action film, Unleashed is superb. The ratio of action to story might be a bit less than hardcore martial arts fans desire, but there's no question every facet of the plot bolsters the fight scenes, giving every battle a palpable and underlying current of emotion that adds to the thrills of the spectacle. And spectacular action this is; every fight scene-most especially the brutal opening sequence and the thrilling, almost emotionally exhausting climax-is brilliantly filmed and edited, wisely emphasizing Li's natural abilities in favor of quick-cuts and wirework. There are a few instances of Matrix-style slow motion, but the spare usage works to the film's advantage. There's even a terrific fight scene inside a tiny bathroom that far outdoes a similar scene in The Matrix.

An absolute winner on almost every conceivable level (the exception being that the title should be changed back to Danny the Dog, but I'm not going to hold that against the movie), Unleashed delivers some of the best action scenes I've seen to go hand-in-hand with memorable characters I adored and a story that riveted me from start to finish. I should also not slight director Louis Leterrier, who puts it all together with the right mix of strong style and natural storytelling. Why can't all action films be this good?