Danny the Dog (2005)

U.S. Title: Unleashed.
Synopsis: An orphan is conditioned to be an obedient fighter by a vicious gangster.
Appraisal: This film has many pros and almost as many cons, which left me in a mixed state. It has so many inconsistencies and plot deficiencies that suspension of disbelief takes a small amount of extra effort. Perhaps the best way to view it is as a nonrealistic fable, where details (e.g. why was the piano tuner so helpful and unafraid of taking a stranger home) don't matter. The film is enjoyable, if one can overlook those details, and it helps that the cast delivers good performances. The fight sequences, too, are good. It is perhaps interesting to note that this film has musical references in its plot as well as in its structure: it begins with a lively first section, then is followed by a slower middle section, then picks up momentum again in the final section -- this is of course the sonata form. It is not the first film thus structured -- two that come to mind are the aptly titled Sonatine (1993) and Yao a yao yao dao waipo qiao (1995).
Rating: 55