MOVIE OF THE WEEK (12/25/14): UNBROKEN
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| "Your eyes ... They're so irresistibly arresting!" Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) stares into the face of the man known amongst his fellow prisoners simply as "The Bird" (Takamasa Ishihara) in a scene from Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, UNBROKEN. © 2014 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved. |
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jack O'Connell, Garrett Hedlund, Takamasa Ishihara, Jai Courtney, Fitt Witrock, Domhall Gleeson and Alex Russell
WRITER(S): Joel & Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese and William Nicholson (screenplay); Laura Hillenbrand (novel on which the film is based)
DIRECTOR(S): Angelina Jolie
WEB SITE: http://www.unbrokenfilm.com/ 60 SECOND PLOT SYNOPSIS (OR AS CLOSE TO IT AS ONE CAN TRY TO MAKE): Based on the incredible true story, Unbroken stars little known (as of now) English born actor Jack O'Connell as Louis Zamperini. Does that name sound familiar to you? It should – and not just because the man known to many as an American hero passed away earlier this year. No, it goes much, much deeper than that – and if you don't know why, Unbroken seeks to fill you in ...
You see, Zamperini – the son of immigrants – was not only a renown high school track star who later went on to compete in front of and reportedly impress Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympics, he was also a member of United States Air Force. Serving active duty during World War, Zamperini and 10 other servicemen were abroad a B-24 bomber on a search-and-rescue mission for a previously downed flight. Known for having problems, the plane malfunctioned during their mission ... Forcing Zamperini and company to crash in the Pacific Ocean.
Only Zamperini and two other crew members – pilot Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips (Domhall Gleeson) and Francis "Mac"McNamara (Finn Witrock) – survived ... Floating nearly two months in a tiny raft in the Pacific surviving on rations and raw fish. As if that weren't bad enough, they were shot at by a Japanese bomber and had to survive weather conditions that were less than stellar to say the least.
As fate would have it, they would eventually be found ... By a Japanese Navy ship before promptly being thrown into a prisoner of war (POW) camp. That is where Zamperini would face his greatest challenge yet: Surviving under the extreme physical and psychological torture brought on by the camp's director known only as "The Bird" (Takamasa Ishihara).
The rest, as they say, is the stuff of legend ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST?: Military veterans; seniors; people who look to true stories to find inspiration; fans of character driven films where the story is presented in an unflinching fashion without any typical Hollywood add-ons for dramatic effect; athletes
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: People who are racist towards Asians; those who don't like harrowing stories where a lot of brutality occurs before a more upbeat revelation; Angelina Jolie haters; anyone who hates watching films about war and/or the awful things human beings can do to one another
FINAL VERDICT – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? While it may surprisingly be shocking to some, Unbroken is a solid, well-directed and acted film that may serve to inspire audiences as well as aspiring actors and directors alike.
With biopics – especially those set in times of war – it's very easy to do one of the following things: [1] Canonize the main character while overlooking anything negative he or she may have done in their life; [2] Vilify the main character's opposition to the point of inducing hatred for them among the audience unfairly and [3] get sappy, either with the music, the lighting and more so the acting in the hopes of producing that desired clap-at-the-end moment that has become a cliché in all settings. Fortunately, thanks to strong performances by O'Connell and his castmates as well coupled with the stark, intense and ultimately appropriate camerawork by Jolie.
O'Connell uses subtlety better than many actors with three times his resume as Zamperini, never giving in to any common extreme to show the character's determination, humble nature, survival skills and the like. Instead, he comes off simply as a man trying to make the best of two absolutely horrible situations, being a quiet champion of confidence trying to do right by himself, his brother (played by Alex Russell in the film) and his country without any xenophobic traits. This is crucial to O'Connell's performance and execution of Zamperini as a character, a skill for which he deserves nothing but praise in proving the job of being a lead actor is not too big for him.
Of course, Jolie does an equally skilled job of crafting the stage and showcasing the perils of Zamperini's situation, be it man vs. nature or man vs. man and the harsh, critical nature of both in testing one's personal resolve. Unbroken looks phenomenal whether the action is taking place in the air, on land or on/under the sea while her attention to detail on facial expressions, the helter skelter nature of the conditions and glimmers of hope in otherwise dreadful situations make the package a complete one.
Zamperini would likely be proud of the film and not just for how it portrays him. For given all he endured, Unbroken does a commendable job of making sure the idea of what he stood for – not as a soldier, but as a man – is preserved.
WHO WON'T – OR SHOULDN'T – LIKE THIS FILM?: People who are racist towards Asians; those who don't like harrowing stories where a lot of brutality occurs before a more upbeat revelation; Angelina Jolie haters; anyone who hates watching films about war and/or the awful things human beings can do to one another
FINAL VERDICT – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? While it may surprisingly be shocking to some, Unbroken is a solid, well-directed and acted film that may serve to inspire audiences as well as aspiring actors and directors alike.
With biopics – especially those set in times of war – it's very easy to do one of the following things: [1] Canonize the main character while overlooking anything negative he or she may have done in their life; [2] Vilify the main character's opposition to the point of inducing hatred for them among the audience unfairly and [3] get sappy, either with the music, the lighting and more so the acting in the hopes of producing that desired clap-at-the-end moment that has become a cliché in all settings. Fortunately, thanks to strong performances by O'Connell and his castmates as well coupled with the stark, intense and ultimately appropriate camerawork by Jolie.
O'Connell uses subtlety better than many actors with three times his resume as Zamperini, never giving in to any common extreme to show the character's determination, humble nature, survival skills and the like. Instead, he comes off simply as a man trying to make the best of two absolutely horrible situations, being a quiet champion of confidence trying to do right by himself, his brother (played by Alex Russell in the film) and his country without any xenophobic traits. This is crucial to O'Connell's performance and execution of Zamperini as a character, a skill for which he deserves nothing but praise in proving the job of being a lead actor is not too big for him.
Of course, Jolie does an equally skilled job of crafting the stage and showcasing the perils of Zamperini's situation, be it man vs. nature or man vs. man and the harsh, critical nature of both in testing one's personal resolve. Unbroken looks phenomenal whether the action is taking place in the air, on land or on/under the sea while her attention to detail on facial expressions, the helter skelter nature of the conditions and glimmers of hope in otherwise dreadful situations make the package a complete one.
Zamperini would likely be proud of the film and not just for how it portrays him. For given all he endured, Unbroken does a commendable job of making sure the idea of what he stood for – not as a soldier, but as a man – is preserved.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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