Review of Unbreakable (2000) by Zachary G — 13 Aug 2017

I've never been particularly fond of super hero movies, especially with the endless barrage of Marvel flicks we've been getting over the past decade. Unbreakable takes the concept of hero vs. villain back to the drawing board, giving us an incredibly grounded, human story with little to no special effects.

David (played by Bruce Willis) is involved in a massive train derailing and is the sole survivor of over 100 passengers. He's contacted by Elijah (played by Sam L. Jackson), who insists he has powers that he wants to investigate.

The story moves at a brisk pace, and it's really interesting to see a different take on the average super hero film. That take is presented to us by the notorious (or even infamous at times) M. Night Shyamalan.

Unbreakable was released in 2000, and it was the first movie in his filmography to come after The Sixth Sense. These were his glory days, which are known to have worn off back when he released The Last Airbender in 2010 and After Earth in 2013, respectively.

He and Bruce Willis seem to work very well together, because he's fantastic here and in The Sixth Sense as well. Sam L. Jackson brings disability and obsession to the forefront in an engaging way that never gets dull.

The ending is perhaps a little predictable, but it's executed in a satisfying way, and the script is thoroughly good. Digging up this 17 year old gem was a big breath of fresh air, taking my mind away from the overly flashy 150+ million dollar CGI festival that is known as modern Hollywood.

I was so excited to learn that M. Night's newest film Split had ties to Unbreakable, not to mention that a sequel is in the works! M. Night may have been down, but he's not out for the count.