Another great film from M. Night S.

Rating: 9/10 (25 February 2002)

Unbreakable is a film you will either love or hate. People who love it point to the great acting, the strong characterisation, the original plot (among others) to prove its superiority. Critics will talk about how slow the film is, how stupid the plot, how it makes very little sense (among others) in discussing the film's flaws. As someone who loved this film, I find it hard to reconcile the two viewpoints, but can see where the opposition is coming from.
***Possible Spoiler***
It all comes down to one point: can you accept a superhero theme in a serious film? It has been my experience a lot of people can't. It seems that people will accept ghosts (as in M. Night S.'s other film, The Sixth Sense) without hesitation, but unless a superhero has their underwear on the outside, it makes no sense, or is stupid. Unbreakable (like The Sixth Sense) places the extraordinary right in the middle of the ordinary, and asks us to accept it.
I could, and found this a great, slow burn kind of film. It builds over time, working in time with Bruce Willis' working joe as he brings himself to maybe believe that Samuel L. Jackson's character may be telling the truth. Yes, I saw the ending coming, but couldn't pick the "how" or "why". It isn't a crushing twist like The Sixth Sense, but when it hits, a new light is shed on the film and its events.
Overall, this film is much stronger than The Sixth Sense, but it asks a greater suspension of belief. If anything, it cements M. Night S. as a director to watch.