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An underrated action movie that bombed under 2 different names scraps for survival on streaming

One of the best beat 'em ups the movie's star has ever appeared in.

unleashed-2005
via EuropaCorp

International action stars generally have patchy track records when it comes to cracking Hollywood, and it sums up Jet Li’s Stateside adventures in microcosm that his best-reviewed feature outside of his native shores is the divisive Mulan remake. In terms of leading roles, though, 2005’s Unleashed remains at the head of the pack.

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Arguably deserving of a much better reputation than the one it currently has among genre aficionados, the directorial debut of The Transporter 2, The Incredible Hulk, and Fast X filmmaker Louis Leterrier more than holds up on a rewatch, with those Rotten Tomatoes scores of 66 and 74 percent from critics and crowds feeling entirely merited.

unleashed-2005
via EuropaCorp

The downside is that it flopped at the box office during its initial release after bringing in a shade under $51 million against production costs of $45 million, and that was after it had been given a separate title for some international markets, where the film was instead known as Danny the Dog.

The weekend is the perfect time for forgotten ass-kickers to make a dash for renewed prominence, with Netflix subscribers opting to check out Li’s redemption from lifelong prisoner to no-nonsense weapon of revenge-fueled destruction, leaving a trail of bodies in its wake on the platform’s viewership charts.

Per FlixPatrol, Unleashed has been decimating the competition on-demand, and has even found itself propelled onto the Top 10 in the United Kingdom. A mid budget punch, kick, stab, and shoot ’em up that should be held in higher regard than it is, this Danny is far from being a dog.