When my friend Jim calls me right after he exits a theater, I listen. Not that I don't listen to him otherwise, but he has only call me three times in 10 years right after a movie, and he only does this for truly moving movies.

The first time he called me was in 1995 from a pay phone after he saw Hackers. The movie was great, but the soundtrack was to change our lives. 1995 was a turning point for electronic music. A lot of it then was just too predictable, repetitive and downright cheezy. This movie's soundtrack introduced us to the likes of The Prodigy, Massive Attack, Underworld, Orbital, and Leftfield. The music was so fresh, original, dynamic, emotional, driving, and elevated electronic music to a pinnacle it has never been before. From there I found other electronic artists pushing boundaries and just could not get enough, even to this day.

The second time he called me was after he saw Magnolia. This young guy, PT Anderson, managed to create such an amazing well written, directed, edited movie all dealing with hard subjects and he was not even 30 yet! I saw all his other movies afterwards and each is just so astounding (while certainly not for everyone), it's amazing so much talent and breadth of experience can come from such a young guy. Why can't I do that?

And just the other day he called me about the movie Unleashed. American marketing showed this movie as just another Jet Li action movie. I just saw it and it is much more. The movie has hard hitting well done [violent] action, yet also has a very touching and heartfelt story. You wound think the two should not go together. The movie was done by Luc Besson, who also did Leon The Professional and The Transporter, both movies have great original action, but are also fresh with character development and story. As much as I like these two extremes [action drama?], sadly this is the movie's biggest weakness. Do you market it as an action movie (which was done in America by changing the title from Danny the Dog), loosing the audience that wants just action, or do you market it towards the emotional journey and then loose the people with all the violence it has? Then the soundtrack was done by none other than Massive Attack, who did an amazing job. They can have hard gritting songs that make you want to throw down right now, to songs that just well up tears in your eyes. Just listen to "Right Way To Hold A Spoon" off of the soundtrack, and if that does not touch you emotionally... While the movie didn't change my life like some others have, I really hope that more movies will strive for such dynamicism that this movie has with great action, A list actors, a touching story, and excellent soundtrack.

I also noticed spiritual overtones can be viewed in this film. [Those not wanting spoilers, stop now] Sin can take a hold of you when you are young and enslave you, doing it's bidding, just as Danny was enslaved by his master. You know no other way so you keep on doing what sin tells you to do, even though it hurts you as well as others. You also become desensitized to what is truly wrong, as is the case when a violent fight broke out around Danny in a store and he thought nothing of it when everyone else was afraid and trying to get away. When Danny meets Sam the piano tuner, he experiences kindness, and wants more, but is still enslaved by his master Bart the gangster. Danny eventually has a chance to run away and goes to the only kindness he knows, living with Sam and his stepdaughter Victoria. The two even pray together, and Danny experiences a new world he never knew. Sin comes calling back and it is easy to fall into the trap again as Danny did. Only when you strive and make an active conscious decision to fight temptation and flee will you overcome, but not without the help of others as Sam and Victoria helped. The movie is much more dynamic than that, but that's just a short synopsis. I know I will have much more to say after I discuss with Jim tomorrow when I see Star Wars Episode III !