- Title: USA: JET LI, MORGAN FREEMAN AND BOB HOSKINS STAR IN NEW FILM "UNLEASED"
- Date: 7th May 2005
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MAY 7, 2005) (REUTERS) SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR BOB HOSKINS SAYING: "Well, it was wonderful because you've got - to have the two of them, you've got the intensity of Li you know that Jet does what he does - that concentration and you got Morgan who is like flowing water, he just flows and you find yourself flowing with him s
- Embargoed: 22nd May 2005 13:00
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- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES/UNIDENTIFIED FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA9I4V0N7O5EYA6TYWLPL6JEV8E
- Story Text: Asian action star Jet Li and Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman form an unusual pair in the new action drama "Unleashed".
Asian action superhero Jet Li forms an unusual pair with Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman in the new summer action drama, "Unleashed".
Written and produced by Luc Besson, the film is directed by Louis Leterrier.
Jet Li, the hero of several cult action films like "Hero" plays the role of Danny. A near-prisoner of Glasgow gangster Uncle Bart (enacted by Bob Hoskins), Danny is trained like a dog to attack and kill as Bart commands.
But when Danny has a chance encounter with a blind piano tuner Sam (Morgan Freeman), he senses compassion for the first time and his life changes.
Li believes that the emotional shades and layers in this role make his role as Danny different from anything else that he's done before.
"Like everybody know I play a lot of tough guy before, save the people, save the city but this one is I play the character Danny - mentally only 10 years old but physically very strong, he hurt people very badly but end of the movie, I'm saved by Morgan Freeman and through the music - I'm saved by music and love, that's totally different kind of film, people maybe they start calling it action with heart, you know - that kind of special movie,"
said Li.
Li's first English-language film appearance was in 1998 in the film "Lethal Weapon 4".
As "Sam", Morgan Freeman, who was seen most recently in the film "Million Dollar Baby", serves as a father figure to "Danny" and helps bring out his latent humanity. It was Freeman's suggestion to play Sam blind and in an interview, he talked about how he came up with the idea in the first place.
"The guy (Sam) was a piano tuner, and that was the first thing that struck me when I was trying to find some way to personify this character for me - the actor. What was it that was going to make it work for me? And that - that just finally occurred to me, just blind - make him blind and Luc agreed after 2-3 weeks of consideration,"
said Freeman.
Freeman's father-figure role extended from the film to the sets as well. While filming, Freeman apparently helped Li with some of the trickier emotional parts in the latter's role.
Bob Hoskins, who has previously been seen in films like "The Long Good Friday" and "Beyond The Limit", said he enjoyed working with Freeman and Li.
"Well, it was wonderful because you've got the two of them, you've got the intensity of Li, you know that Jet does what he does - that concentration and you got Morgan who is like flowing water, he just flows and you find yourself flowing with him so you got a very intense flow,"
Hoskins added.
Li's action scenes are orchestrated a bit differently from his previous martial action performances. Speaking of his role, Li said, "All the martial arts become Danny's martial art, crazy violent dog in the beginning. To work with the best choreographer in the world and work together to do some crazy stuff in the martial art sequences."
The "crazy action stuff" can be seen when "Unleashed"
releases in the United States this May 13. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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