HAS Jet Li’s credibility as a hero gone to the dogs? Diehard fans of the Chinese action star certainly felt that way when they came to know about his role in the new movie Unleashed as Danny, a slave who’s raised in an inhuman environment literally like a dog, to achieve only one aim in life – to fight for money for his boss/owner.
Content:
Pictures of Li in the action thriller – formerly titled Danny the Dog – wearing a dog collar have angered the fans, according to a report in Sin Chew Jit Poh. Li’s face also appears to have been trampled upon.
What’s more, being likened to a dog is an insult to the Chinese.
Some outraged fans of the Hollywood-based actor, who are more accustomed to seeing their idol in heroic roles, went as far as to say that Li had been coerced into doing the humiliating scenes.
Most of them commented that they “felt uneasy and strange” after seeing Li, 42, looking so helpless and “pathetic”, even though it’s just acting. They reckoned that Li had been humiliated and humbled unnecessarily and blamed the American film company, Rogue Pictures, for making Li play the part.
So far there have been no comments from the star himself, who recently survived the tsunami horror while vacationing with his family in Maldives.
The actor, whose Hollywood credits include Lethal Weapon 4, The One and Cradle 2 the Grave, was seen not too long ago in Zhang Yimou’s Hero and is best known for his portrayal of the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the Once Upon a Time in China movie series.
Unleashed, directed by Louis Leterrier (The Transporter), also stars Morgan Freeman and Bob Hoskins. It is set for release in the United States in April