Introduction:
For some reason it seems
like I’ve been revisiting some of M. Night Shyamalan’s films lately. The man
has a great visual style, and even something as uneven as The Village is worth checking out. I last saw Unbreakable when it first came out on DVD back in the day. The buzz
on this film was pretty tame, most folks were disappointed with it after being
so impressed with The Sixth Sense. I
admit I was in the same boat. But I noticed that many folks are now putting
this film on their list of best Shyamalan films. Did I miss something?
Summary:
David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is
the only survivor of a horrendous train accident. Survivor is really putting it
nicely – he is completely uninjured by the disaster. While he tries to cope
with this, he comes in contact with an eccentric comic book art enthusiast
named Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson). Elijah seems to think that David
survived the train wreck for a reason, a very special destiny.
At first David dismisses
Elijah’s theory as ranting by an emotionally unstable man. But additional
events occur that seem to confirm Elijah’s theory. At the same time David is
attempting to reconnect with his estranged wife Audrey (Robin Wright) and his
son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark). David begins to fear for him family’s safety
when it becomes obvious that Elijah will stop at nothing to prove that David is
Unbreakable.
Good Points:
- Creates and sustains a dower and gritty mood
- A unique approach to a heroic origin story
- Jackson makes Elijah work with his intense performance
Bad Points:
- Relentlessly dreary and dower
- Attempts a slow boil, but ends up just feeling slow
- The ending feels anticlimactic
Overall:
I want to like Unbreakable more than I can. I
appreciate the approach to the story and the cleverness of the concept. I like
the attempt to create a gritty mood and atmosphere to the whole thing. But that
ends up being my real problem. While Willis’ low-key performance worked well in
The Sixth Sense I find his
performance in Unbreakable to border
on lifeless. The movie just mopes for its 106 minutes. Jackson does inject some
life into the film and helps it along. In the end I appreciate the film for
what it attempts, but don’t find myself really liking it. However, it offers a
glimpse into the approach for the grim and gritty Batman Begins and Man of
Steel.
Scores
(out of 5)
Visuals: 4
Sound: 4
Acting: 4
Script: 4
Music: 3
Direction: 4
Entertainment: 3
Total: 3
Curious about a full review,
sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.
I enjoyed Unbreakable when I first saw it, but haven't revisited it since then. For me, it has a similar twist at the end of the film, like The Sixth Sense, which is fine, but once the reveal has been sprung all that came before seems to be a setup, and I'm not a huge fan of those types of films unless they are done really well or offer other ambiguities which leaves you wondering. (Man, that was a loooong sentence.)
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, it does have an interesting indie mood or vibe to it, and I'm always curious as to what Shyamalan is doing.
Yeah I think Shyamalan had a lot of really good concepts at the core of most of his films. I like his visual style a lot, and I think if he worked with a really great screenwriter, he could create one hell of a movie. But "Unbreakable" was just to morose for me. I think I'm just experiencing grim and gritty fatigue. Maybe if I revisit it in another few years, I'll feel differently. :)
DeleteThe proposition a person on one tail end of a bell curve is balanced by someone on the opposite tail of the curve isn't so very unreasonable. Elijah thereby gives a mythic character to their otherwise mundane lives.I liked this film, but it did need more caffeine. Had I watched it is the small hours of the morning (a not uncommon viewing time for me) I might have nodded off.
ReplyDeleteYeah I felt the need for caffeine too. :)
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