It’s alright to be afraid, David, because this part won’t be like a comic book. Real life doesn’t fit into little boxes that were drawn for it. – Elijah Price
M. Night Shyamalan has already established his own personal stamp for his films. Sadly this one is the most underrated works of the last decade. The first time I saw it I was blown away at how quiet and moving the movie is, and now almost ten years later after watching it again, I was more taken aback by how much movies have changed and audiences have changed. This movie represents a time when going to the movies was like finishing that great book. You close the last page and sit there, still in awe. Leaving the theater or opening the DVD tray a decade later; I’m still get that feeling with UNBREAKABLE.
Shyamalan once again teams up with Willis for another bleak supernatural tale with a surprising finale. Although Willis and Jackson are excellent in their roles, the highlights of the film are Eduardo Serra’s cinematography and Shyamalan’s direction, which are eerily atmospheric and inventive–in certain sequences, for example, entire scenes are shot as reflections on glass. UNBREAKABLE is a superhero film at heart, but Shyamalan’s somber aesthetic transforms it into something far more intriguing.
Synopsis: UNBREAKABLE stars Bruce Willis as David Dunne, a security guard and the sole survivor of a disastrous train wreck. Not only is David still alive after the crash–he’s completely unharmed. He’s soon contacted by the Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a dealer of comic book art who seems to have the opposite physicality–his bones tend to snap like twigs. As Elijah attempts to help the reluctant hero realize his superhuman potential, David tries to make amends with his estranged wife (Robin Wright Penn) and son (Spencer Treat Clark).
Country: USA
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson
Total Gross: $248,118,121
Favorite scene: As Dunn begins to understand his purpose in the world, he begins to feel whole again, and is able to renew his relationship with his wife and his son. This leads to David’s first ‘heroic act’: going out wearing his “Security” poncho at Elijah’s encouragement to prove that he truly is something special.
Tags: bruce willis, m. night shyamalan, retro review, review, shyamalan, unbreakable
