Unbroken
Dir: Angelina Jolie

2014

****

Unbroken tells the true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian who took part in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and was personally congratulated by Hitler, who was shot down in the Pacific during World War Two, who was adrift at sea for 47 days and survived over two years of torture in several Japanese Prisons of War before suffering years of post-traumatic stress and alcoholism before becoming a born again Christian and preacher, who later ran a leg in the Olympic Torch relay for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan on his 81^st Birthday, before passing away in 2014 at the tender age of 97. An incredible man with an incredible story of survival, persistence and strength under some of the most gruelling situations most people could ever imagine. It is a unique, powerful and special story that needed to be told properly and without compromise. Universal pictures bought the rights to Laura Hillenbrand’s factual biopic Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption in 2011 but had acquired the rights to Zamperini’s life back in the 1950s. A film adaptation of Zamperini’s life has been attempted countless times since the 50s but without a final script ever seeming to be agreed upon. Many people had worked on it and many a big name writer has been attached at one time or another. The final screenplay for 2014’s film was written by an eclectic mix of heavyweights; Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson and the Coen Brothers. It feels more like a LaGravenese/Nicholson film more than a Coen Brothers production it has to be said but it should be remembered that the brothers do drama just as well as they do comedy. It seems like Universal didn’t want to take any chances after all the years of development. So it seems strange then that they hired Angelina Jolie to direct. Her 2007 debut was a sickly-sweet attempt at celebrity-driven charity work and her 2011 feature debut In the Land of Blood and Honey was impressive but came with a mixed response from critics and audiences around the world. I would suggest she was something of a big risk for the studio. However, she clearly convinced them and her talent as a director should never be doubted again, as Unbroken looks like it was directed by someone with decades of filming experience. It is visually stunning from start to finish with a perfect balance of action and drama. It is largely unsentimental, although there are one or two scenes that couldn’t be more so, these scenes damaged the film’s credibility somewhat in my opinion but luckily they don’t last long and can be overlooked. Jack O’Connell was also a bit of a risk, having made his name playing something of the troublemaker but his performance was pretty much perfect. He has credited Jolie for helping him focus and change the way he now approaches projects, and his performance is indeed credit to her as a director. Domhnall Gleeson is great in his supporting role as Russell Philips – Zamperini’s life boat companion and subsequent life-long friend but I do question Miyavi’s performance of Mutsuhiro ‘The Bird’ Watanabe, the infamous corporal that headed the camp Zamperini was sent to and who took a particular dislike to him. I’m not sure of the authenticity of his behaviour and I certainly don’t believe his reaction in the scene later on in the film whereby Zamperini stands up to him. Overall Zamperini’s story comes across well. I think the camp scenes could have shown the harsh realities a little more for what they were and a longer version that explored Zamperini’s post-traumatic stress disorder and recovery from alcoholism would have given the film more truth, as although everything is factual, only the extraordinary is explored, when the harsh reality of returning from war would have been an even bolder story to tell. The real life archive footage at the end of the film was a great finish, and apart from those few manipulative scenes, it was handled tastefully and confidently by a brilliant director.