UNBROKEN (2014)

Directed By: Angelina Jolie 
Written By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Richard Lagravenese & William Nicholson 
Based on the book by: Laura Hillenbrand 
Cinematography By: Roger Deakins 
Editor: William Goldenberg &Tim Squyres 

Cast: Jack O’Connell, Takamasa Ishihara, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Finn Witrock, Jai Courtney, Luke Treadway 

The life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who joined the armed forces during the second world war. Only to be captured by the Japanese navy after a plane crash and spending a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewman in the Pacific. During his capture, Louie must continue his fight by surviving through the war in a POW Camp.

This is a film that looks good and works conventionally but never affects the audience quite as much as it should. Instead it feels more like a a well paced endurance test.

No offense to director Angelina Jolie who is a well known humanitarian in life and in subject matter of the films she usually directs. This being her first Hollywood big budget film. It seems like her heart is in the right place, but she seems maybe the wrong choice to helm this project. While she doesn't embarass herself nor disrespect the material. The film feels like it is constantly shortchanged or at least missing something. As she has great behind the scenes talents especially a script partly written by the Coen Brothers and cinematography by the great Roger Deakins

Jack O'Connell plays the character more physically. As most of the performance is silent and he is usually suffering. He gives a good performance but have seen him better in films like STARRED UP. Here it's more like his first leading role in a Hollywood feature.

The film seems to constantly want to have it's main character seem more like a Christ like figure. He is a hero and a survivor. Though the film and it's script seems afraid to show us him as anything less. We never really see him as normal or average. Never see any flaws. She seems to be constantly only achieving and overcoming. Never quite showing us a human side to him. So that after a while it ends up feeling like we are watching him get tortured. So that it almost feels PASSION OF THE CHRIST inspired. Especially in the scenes where he must hold up 2 x 4's and every POW is forced to punch him in the face hard.

Even though through the hardships it makes his fellow soldiers look up to him. When it feeling sorry for him.

Though at least these scenes involve one of the only other interesting performances. As the leader of the prison camp played by Takamisa Ishihara (Who is a Japanese rock star) he is vindictive for reasons never really explained. So that he just comes off as evil. If anything it more seems like entertainment to him in how he will try to kill O’Connell’s character this time. Like an ongoing series of and each week that are foiled by the characters spirit. So that it Becomes a personal mission it break him down before killing him. Though he seems to be enjoying it a bit too much and punishes him more as a sport and feeling like he is being rejected. He is effective though his scenes also add a hint of homoerotic s and m to them. As the actor is also noticeably handsome.

The film is filed in an epic scale that matches the size of the story but fails to paint a complete portrait. As it is shot vividly though most scenes feel more small scale and are reaching to be intimate. Though it appears too glossy. Making it feel more slick and allowing nothing to really land.

The film is ok Hollywood entertainment. Don't know if I can say it does justice to the late Louis Zamperini story, but at least allows the story to be larger than life. It might be oversimplified but it makes it grander.

Despite being a born-again Christian, Louis Zamperini requested that the film not delve too deeply into his religion, as he wanted his experiences with faith and forgiveness to reach the audience on a universal level.

There is a story to tell here even if it feels rushed. The film looks good even if it more resembles a more classic one sided telling of the tale. More a heroic epic you would see in the 50'a with Hollywood wanting to tell the story and make the persona and character a star and make it quickly.

When it comes to this film the problem is that it seems familiar. It seems like a war film that has already been made. It is a war film that feels of another era. Where it tries to get down and gritty by mainly has the main character be almost Christ like and while it might be true all he went through. It also feels too much he film puts him through things or. After another so that it almost feels episodic as it focuses solely mostly on Him and his amazing feats.

So that none around him gets a chance to make any difference or be heroic In any way shape or form.

This feels too much more like a newsreel hero film rather than a war time drama. It serves it's subject and character well but that is all it really serves. Short changing all around him and he film

The films heart is in the right place. Even if the film quite isn't.


GRADE: C+