Unbroken is
the undeniably incredible true story of Louis Zamperini and also simultaneously
the first directorial feature from mega-star Angelina Jolie; together these two
aspects have given the film a lot of hype and it’s not hard to see why; both
are commanding figures and together they have made for a rather compelling
film, but what exactly makes it so intriguing? Make no mistake, there’s an
over-abundance of World War 2 films in the film world (although I’m not exactly
complaining as it was one of the more interesting times in history), especially
here in America where we love to remember the last great ass-kicking we felt
good about, but Unbroken isn’t exactly like your average World War 2 film. What
sets this film apart, however, isn’t necessarily what is in the movie, but what
isn’t.
I won’t
waste time telling the story (that’s what watching the movie is for, after all)
but suffice it to say Zamperini is the perfect picture of an American and a
good Christian, or so he’s portrayed in the movie. He runs fast, he fights
hard, and he survives, but if I have one major complaint about Unbroken, it’s
that the film never really delves into what motivates the man. Why does
Zamperini power on when so many have given up? It’s hard to even fathom the
amount of determination that is required to survive what Zamperini went through,
and I’m still mystified by it; don’t expect the movie to explain his motives,
this is simply a show and tell story, but it is a fairly good one.
The most
interesting aspect of this movie by far is the relationship between Zamperini
and the POW camp leader, Watanabe; it almost seems as if Watanabe likes
Zamperini, as if something attracts him to the young Olympic athlete, but he
hates himself for it and he takes it out on Zamperini and the rest of the
prisoners. I almost wish the movie had focused more on this dynamic as it is
very intriguing, but it seems just a scene or two away from being complete.
As for the
performances, both Jack O’connell and Takamasa Ishihara are on top of their
game and they largely carry the film, albeit with some more than capable
directing from Angelina Jolie. For her first film, this is most certainly an
ambitious project and I have to say she mostly pulls it off. Does the film have
its faults? Of course, as I mentioned earlier it doesn’t develop the characters
as much as I would have liked and it didn’t necessarily excite me as much as it
seems to have with others; also, I would have appreciated more of a more
humanized look at the other Japanese guards and even some of the American
prisoners, but this movie is solely about Zamperini and it does a very
serviceable job of telling his story.
In the end,
that’s exactly what Unbroken is, very solid and serviceable, but does it really
make the audience feel something? I would say that would depend on your views
going into the film more than what the movie itself evokes as far as emotions
for the characters. Still, this is a great first effort and I’m excited to see
Jolie’s next effort. Ultimately, this seems to be a film that will be
remembered for launching the careers of Jack O’connel and Takamasa Ishihara
respectively as well as Angelina Jolie’s directing career. However, I’m sure
Zamperini would appreciate this biopic, it’s just a shame he wasn’t on this
Earth quite long enough to see its release.
-Ryan Maples
Rating: 7.75
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