Review of Unbreakable (2000) by Letmejustify — 18 Jan 2019

**DISCLAIMER: I like to keep my reviews casual and succinct, and as such I do not go as in-depth as some do. While there is certainly more that I COULD say, I choose not to for the sake of enjoyment. **.

Unbreakable is surprising. It's odd to look at this movie in a retrospective manner, where the ever-stagnating genre of superhero movies is upon us, and notice the subtlety, care and passion that clearly when into this project. While I do not think it is a masterpiece, I do understand why other people view it as so, and I believe this movie deserves more attention for its caliber. M. Night Shyamalan is a very unique director, and his style hammers in every movie he makes (whether that’s good or bad, is up to you), and Unbreakable is no different. The directors choice for silence in most scenes is very effective tonally, and it helps highlight the rather great cinematography. The choice for handheld camera during more intense scenes really help ground the film, while tripod shots are used more sparingly and creatively. ‘Show don’t tell’ methods encompass this movie, which is no doubt thanks to the technical prowess of Shyamalan and his ability to convey through allusions rather than word-of-mouth.

Bruce Willis plays the protagonist, David Dunn, fairly dry however. I have always viewed Shyamalan as a story teller rather than a character writer, and I fear Willis didn’t have much to do with the material given. Samuel L. Jackson on the other hand, who plays the semi-antagonist, Elijah Price (which I’ll touch on in a bit), is extremely engaging. Jackson steals the scene wherever he is, perfectly capturing the perpetual turmoil and fragility of the character while maintaining the movies attempt at mystery.

While this movie is interesting, the pacing really catches you during its more predictable moments. I feel this is more of a script problem than anything else however. The mystery aspect falls flat when right out of the gate, thanks to the opening train crash, we know David is different in some way. We do not need Elijah to tell us this, yet the majority of the movie is spent on this confusingly. Elijah is best utilized when touching upon his most basic purpose of a character; the dichotomy between good and evil, and the unconscious perception one has on themselves through the actions of others. It was this parallel that drew me into the characters, and I was eager for a satisfying resolution. Which I got…kind of. Story elements that try to intertwine are left weirdly dangled in mid-air, such as the sub-plot between David and his wife (played by Robin Wright). The movie implicates that David’s realization and acceptance of his abilities is what helps restore their broken marriage, yet it sort of feels out of place. Like it was thrown in because a happy conclusion was necessary. I could be wrong on that, but I couldn’t help but scratch my head when everything turned out A-Okay. Even his son, played by Spencer Clark, is clearly tossed to the side once he losses importance in the story, which wasn’t much to begin with.

Unbreakable is a film I would recommend to any fan of the superhero genre, and who wants to watch a different (and interesting) take on the formula. There’s something intriguing about this movie that I can’t quite grasp, and I think that’s what made me think so much about it afterwards. A tighter script, more in-depth look at sub-plots and their implications, and cutting of more predictable moments, could make this a far more enjoyable movie for me. As for right now, I’m happy to have watched it and do think it’s worth watching.