I admit it: I cringed a little the first time I saw the trailer for Unleashed. It wasn’t because it was another Jet Li action flick — those are always entertaining.

It was because it looked like Jet Li might have to act. Dramatically.

And it wasn’t like he was surrounded by crappy actors so you might not notice. He was co-starring with Morgan Freeman.

But I was pleasantly surprised. The movie actually does a good job of playing to Jet Li’s strengths: his fighting skills and not speaking much.

I don’t know if it’s a compliment, but the guy does a darned good job of acting like a dog.

The plot revolves around Danny (the Dog) who has been raised basically as an attack dog for this mobster/criminal guy, Bart (Bob Hoskins). Take the leash off, and Danny kicks the ass of every guy in the room. Put it back on, and he’s basically a whimpering puppy. It’s a Pavlovian experiment gone to the extreme.

But eventually, Danny escapes and finds himself in the care of Sam (Freeman), a blind piano tuner, and his adopted daughter, Veronica (Kerry Condon). They help him become more human and less dog. But eventually, Danny’s old master comes looking for his lost pet and Danny has to fight for his independence.

There are also sideplots about Danny’s mom and the power of music. Go, music!

It goes without saying that Jet Li’s fight scenes, which are spread out well throughout the movie, kick ass. He even fights gladiator-style in a pit against four people with weapons. Craziness ensues.

But Jet Li actually does a decent job of acting like a small child/dog. Often fearful, he has little understanding of the world around him and we get to see him learn to do things like eat ice cream and use a spoon. And when Victoria finally reaches out to remove his collar, there’s actually some tension. Like any animal, you’re not entirely sure he won’t go ballistic on her once she takes it off.

Freeman does what he does best — provide that fatherly figure presence. And Hoskins does a pretty good job of vacillating between crazy master guy and someone who may, in his own sick and twisted way, care about the boy he’s raised as a dog. And it’s nice to see him as something other than Mario from the Super Mario Bros. movie. (shudder)

Does this mean that I want to see Jet Li as the next Hamlet? Well, no, not really, but if he wants to stretch himself and mix his fleet-footed fighting with a little dramatic acting and can pull it off, then I say: You go, dawg.