Great Action Performances: Bob Hoskins in Unleashed

'Uncle' Bart recounts a disturbing vision in Unleashed

In the woozy opening credits of Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog), we see a collared Danny (Jet Li) slumping along through a blue, industrial murk. As the top-billed names pass by, we see hints of another figure come into view—ultimately forming into the bald head and white suit of "Uncle" Bart, as played by Bob Hoskins, as the title "Unleashed" whooshes onto the screen. For them to share the title shot says enough, but this eerie death march is only half the introduction, as, moments later, Bart snuffles up behind Danny, and utters, "Ge'em" —a line which, when heard for the first time, seems more like a sound effect than actual dialogue. The sequence then continues by giving Jet Li his martial arts stage and having Hoskins furnish us with the basic premise of the film. These first impressions of Danny are made by the hovering, frightful presence of an equally dog-like Bob Hoskins, a presence which maintains throughout the film, even with his absence.

Another entry in the long line of Luc Besson-produced action films of the last decade, Unleashed was an oddity, in itself more than anything. The strange mixture of action and drama had always been a specialty of Besson's (Nikita, Léon), but Unleashed seemed to take it to new heights, with Besson understudy Louis Leterrier at the helm. The script had been written exclusively for Jet Li, but the part of Bart was bumped around between an assemblage of prestigious English actors (Michael Caine, Billy Connolly, Brian Cox, Albert Finney, Anthony Hopkins). Being a poor man's variant of most of that list, Bob Hoskins was the perfect choice, as the character is essentially a poor man's variant of a gangster; his conspicuous white suit and small, unspectacular gang show this more than anything. And, because most of those actors would shy away from such a grotesque and thankless role, in an action movie no less, the versatile Hoskins was up to the challenge. In the end, we find that not only was he up to the challenge, but, like the film as a whole, he takes the role to new heights.

Following the aforementioned opening sequence, is the first of what I'll call the 'in the car' scenes, where Bart converses with Danny and the gang 'in the car' as they ride to and fro. These are not only some of the best moments of Hoskins's performance, but of the film as a whole, as well. The first scene comprises of dream of Bart's, where Hoskins simply and straightforwardly (almost Tarantino-esque) relates a believable and intriguing vision to his compatriots. It’s intriguing because it could be set up as some enigmatic thematic device or simply an effective (i.e. believable) way to introduce the daily life of Bart and co. The second is a Freudian explanation of the dream in the same manner and context, serving as a bridge between the two scenes. This bridge 'falls' and a new one pops up in its place when the Jaguar is hit by a dump truck in a hit-and-run/drive-by attack on the car—this crash is mirrored by a later one, or the third 'in the car' scene, where, after the pit fight, Bart ponders the issue of "family" and Danny forcibly crashes the car as a response. These three speeches given by Hoskins have such a genuine, convincing air to them (probably because Hoskins was playing a part of himself) showing that when good dialogue and even better actors come together, the results can be wondrous.

Hoskins sniggers, spits, growls, and simply lives his way through the film, nailing Bart’s lack of intelligence/accumulation of wily wisdom that makes him so interesting. Through the 'whore' scenes, the interactions with Wyeth (played by Michael Jenn – the head of the fight club), and the great little speech at the grocery store, we see Bart dealing with different types of people in different ways, but all fluid with the core character at hand. Another, particularly funny aspect is the way he gets the crap kicked out of him through the whole movie, and kudos to Leterrier and co. for not making this gag overbearing and keeping it on a fairly subtle level. But by far the most monumental scenes are when Bart is in persuasion mode with Danny, specifically concerning his deceased, or murdered (by Bart) mother.

In the first example, Danny is forced to return to the murky, dirty warehouse that Uncle Bart calls "home." The first shot we see of this reunion is a Young Frankenstein/Rocky Horror-esque lightning flash over Bart, coupled with his maniacal laughing and cackling. His white suit intact, he now sports an arm brace in addition to his neck brace, which he snaps off, declaring, "I'm back!" with sheer, rippling confidence. This provides a great piece of camp, but the good stuff starts when Danny asks about his mother. Bart answers him, "No one wanted you… no one cared whether you lived or died, except me." He continues with a bit of advice, "Don't dwell on the past, look to the future. The past, is behind you, the future, is ahead of you, a bright, glittering mountain of gold. Do you want to know what your future is, Danny?" Backdropped by a great old ominous theme, Hoskins delivers these simple but delicate lines with grace, and ultimately makes the scene—the dialogue here frankly gives him little to work with.

The second and final example takes place when Bart finally hunts Danny and his new family (Morgan Freeman and Kerry Condon) down. After unloading an automatic pistol at him, he tells him, "I know we've had some rough patches, but what family doesn't, eh? Listen, you get over this business, we can have plenty more." He continues this sentiment when he finally corners Danny in the room where Sam and Victoria are hiding in the closet. The speech is so spectacular that I'll let it speak for itself:

"You gave up our good life for this? This is it? This is your refuge, your home away from home? This is your place of, awakening? Art, books… music, for what? Did it make you a better person? Look what you made of it. Nice people took you in, they give you, everything, and look how you repay them. You destroyed their lives, like you'll destroy any life, that's because you’re not meant for this kind of life, Danny. You're a dog, you're my dog, I fed you, I trained you, I own you, and I shall kill you like any responsible owner would do to a dog that caused this much pain, this much suffering… but [drops gun], a heart [takes out collar], come home, Danny, I'll forgive you. You'll be safe, and back in the world that you understand, the only world you'll ever understand. Whaddya say? Forgive and forget? I know just how confusing the world can get. I'll make it simple again."

As Sam says afterward, "That man could talk some serious shit."

Hoskins aside, Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, and Kerry Condon all give superb performances as well, making Unleashed an action movie of many 'great action performances.' But it is Hoskins that rises above and makes this awkward little film fire on all cylinders. The clever scumbag of Bart chews up scenery like its nothing at all—I haven't even mentioned all the outrageous one-liners and flat-out noises that come out of Hoskins's mouth. Either way, the point is clear: Bob Hoskins, I salute you for giving such a great performance to the action genre as Bart in Unleashed.





~ Patrick Fryberger