Review of Unbroken (2014) by Grant D — 16 Aug 2015

Unbroken is the true story of Olympic runner turned WWII air bomber, Louie Zamperini. After his plane crashes in the Pacific, Louie then drifts at sea for 47 days before being captured and taken to a Japanese POW camp where he is then tormented by a corporal named "the Bird". He is beaten over and over... and over again and yet he is unbroken. Sounds very intriguing.

That's why it's such a shame that movie about his life is so uninteresting. This movie really frustrated me. Other than being a trouble making youth of Italian immigrants and that his older brother pushes him to achieve athletic greatness, you learn absolutely NOTHING about Louie as a person other than being able to take an infinite amount of beatings. There is no real story either. It's just a montage of Louie experiences great physical pain, but unlike Passion of the Christ, Unbroken never makes a personal/emotional connection.

Since there is no real story, just plot points, the movie rarely seems to go anywhere. The adrift at sea portion seems to take up half the movie and it's frustrating because you know what it ultimately leads to. The most interesting parts of Louie's life is what happens after the war and all you get to see are brief descriptions at the end of him returning to Japan several years later.

Now on a technical level, Unbroken is very very well made. Classical even. The cinematography is gorgeous, the sets are great, the bombing scenes are tense. There are several scenes where I was like, "Wow. This movie is stunning.".

Unbroken isn't a God-awful film, but it just seems like such a missed opportunity in terms of storytelling. This could've been the next Deer Hunter, but it's more like a big budget Hallmark Channel drama.