Review of Unbroken (2014) by Stephen R — 09 Feb 2015

Anyone else see a little amusing irony that in this Angelina Jolie directed film one of the best things is the acting....other than the cinematography and music, the actors outshine the rest of elements, in particular the storytelling and approach.

..as most people are saying, this is certainly a well made film in a very tradition straight forward old fashioned way....only problem is in this day and age this makes one wonder somewhat "why bother" which is a shame given the real story of Zamperini's horrifying ww2 experiences have seemed rip for a movie for many decades.

..Jolie finally helms with a very simple approach which sadly also amounts to a not terribly impressive film...while stronger than what most people feel about many of her acting exploits, its still not a home run.

...nonetheless, it is an impressive to look at respectful, (maybe overly respectful?) approach to telling a terrifying tale of survival against bad odds which seem to keep getting worse....if you are the sort of person who feels better about his or her life when comparing it to someone who has a seriously bad lot in life, this tale will definitely serve that trick.

..in conclusion Unbroken is certainly not a bad movie but it is also not one to be added to the cannon of great WW2 films...but props go to veteran cinematographer Roger (Coen Brothers who also helped write the script, although fans will see no real evidence of their amazing style) Deakins who always has flair and pizaaaz without distracting and composer Alexandre Desplat, who is nominated for 2 Oscars this year alone.

..Jolie certainly does a very professional job which leads one to think perhaps she will have some more interesting films in her directorial career and the young actors all shine hope on fruitful careers as well.

..but unless you are looking for a ww2 or survival tell, its hard to necessarily recommend anything fresh about Unbroken...