Unleashed.

I saw Unleashed yesterday afternoon. I had the time and wanted to see it since I might be out of the country by the time it gets to DVD.

It's a masterpiece. It's not Luc Besson's best story--Léon is a little more cohesive. It's not Jet Li's best fight flick--Kiss of the Dragon had more combat. It's not Morgan Freeman's best character--"Red" from Shawshank Redemption was more real. It's not Bob Hoskin's most unforgettable role--Eddie Valiant and Smee will always be dear to our hearts. . .

But in an amazing way this movie is the embodiement of a sum greater than it's parts.

These three actors--Freeman, Hoskins, and Li have integrated the lives of three men whose interactions breath and bleed and scream truth, even while we know they are beyond surreal. And in an amazing way, Luc Besson has given them a story, and a setting, and an idea that weaves together their tales in a way that cannot be rivaled in its mastery of the storytelling concept.

And in a sepia tone world where nothing is really in color but it's not quite black and white, the story of Danny the Dog plays out with such devotion that we cannot help but be drawn in, even though the plausibility is thin at times. The viewer's disbelief is suspended eloquently by Jet Li's performance. Moments of tenderness in a world of savagery and viciousness highlight a dreamworld where everything seems simple, even as it becomes more chaotic in each new scene.

It's a fantastic film. Go and see it before it leaves theaters.