Jet Li stars as Danny, a slave used by Scottish mob boss Bart (Bob Hoskins). Having had no education, he was raised like a dog learning only how to fight, living in a cell and let out to act as the muscle in Bart’s extortion schemes. After a car accident sets him free, Danny is drawn to a piano shop where he encounters a blind piano tuner named Sam (Morgan Freeman). Sam welcomes Danny into his home and introduces him to Victoria (Kerry Condon), a teenage piano ingénue who instantly falls for Danny. In the meantime, Bart and his gang continue to search for Danny, endangering the lives of the kindly family that has taken him in.

Jet Li has better acting skills than the other Chinese action star turned American hero, Jackie Chan. While Chan is better suited for comedies, Li can carry a drama even with very little dialogue. Even though Danny is a lethal killing machine, the audience instantly sympathizes with him for the mistreatment he receives. Morgan Freeman is as lovable as ever in his role. His ability to make his characters seem calm in life-threatening situations makes the viewer feel at ease as well. Bob Hoskins, whom I haven’t seen in a film since Who Framed Roger Rabbit, was excellent as the despicable villain. In a weird way, he was almost graceful in the way he executed his evildoings.

This movie had exciting action sequences and fight scenes, however the pace was too slow for it to be considered an action movie. The buildup was overdeveloped and the climax was too brief. The movie was over before I knew it, and a bunch of plot holes were left unfilled. I never quite understood how Sam and Victoria were related. And what happens to Danny now? Is Sam going to “raise” him as if he were a boy? Danny must be in his 30’s. I would recommend this movie for its actors and a good premise, however it’s executed poorly and leaves the viewer with too many unanswered questions.

Greg can be reached at hummel@detroitbuzz.com.