Unleashing minimal ass-kicking

I do expect a certain amount of ass kicking from a Jet Li movie. I do think that is a reasonable expectation to have based on his previous work. So Unleashed really bummed me out. I should have known that it wouldn’t be so great, since it does feature Jet Li being turned into a human pitbull by Bob Hoskins. Morgan Freeman is his usual sage-like self and Hoskins is quite funny. Where the movie totally lost me was in the long rehabilitation interlude where Danny (Jet Li) experiences normal human life for the first time. Jet Li is a great physical actor, so I wouldn’t have minded a scene or two of him experiencing ice cream for the first time or learning how to use a spoon, but far too much of the movie was taken up with Danny’s emotional growth at the expense of the ass kicking. Jet Li should just be punching more people! Or hitting them with sledgehammers! A good Jet Li move should have some punching, or an explosion, or an extended awesome training sequence, or a car chase, or more punching every 10-15 minutes!!!!! There was not enough martial arts in this movie. Instead of paying money to see this movie, I would reccomend seeing Kung-Fu Hustle, and then sneak into the theater showing Unleashed so you can see the final fight sequence (which was great). One great final fight sequence doesn’t make up in my mind for the lack of Jet Li punching things throughout the rest of the movie.

I’m also feeling rather adrift because Jet Li and Jackie Chan are getting so old. Where can we look to for some decent martial arts movies? I’m really hoping that Ong Bak is going to help get more Thai movies distributed, and I really really hope that Tony Jaa is learning some English. Because I want to watch action movies with more action!!!!!!!!!!!! MORE ACTION!!!!!!