Review of Unbroken (2014) by Hatem A — 25 Jan 2015

2.0/4.0.

Angelina Jolie's second directorial effor (and first big budget one) is a major misfire that just features too many clichés and, most importantly, it doesn't have the necessary emotional firepower - I wasn't moved and didn't really care much about the lead character despite the difficulties he goes through. Despite a popular source material (the non-fiction book of the same name by Laura Hillenbrand) and screenplay credits of the Coen brothers, the movie just doesn't work as well as it should.

"Unbroken" tells the inspirational real-life story of Italian-American Olympic runner Louie Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) who is a US bombardier during WWII. In 1943, the plane he is on crashes in the ocean with him and two survivors (Domnhall Gleeson and Finn Wittrock) stranded for 47 days on a raft. That portion of the film has some good, tense moments including one where they get the attention of and are attacked by a Japanese plan.

They are then rescued and imprisoned by Japanese forces. They are split up and Zamperini ends up at two P.O.W. camps run by a guy nicknamed the Bird (Miyavi). That's where the movie goes completely down the drain. The Bird is quite cruel and abusive to Zamperini but I must say that way that character is written and portrayed is at times too cartoonish. And the torture scenes don't create the desired amount of sympathy (they are too contrived especially the finale that has the movie's poster shot). Also little-known O'Connell (in his first starring vehicle) is not strong enough of an actor to carry the movie on his own.

We get some insights into Zamperini's upbringing and rise to Olympic fame through some flashbacks in the early portions of the film but they would have been more effective if they played all through the movie, in my opinion, "Unboken" is nonetheless done on an epic scale and is technically (cinematography, sound, etc.) quite good but it just lacks that needed emotional punch. Nominated for 3 Oscars: Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing.