From that Indian guy who brought you dead people, aliens and killer plants... Seriously.

Rating: 6/10 (11 April 2011)

I'm writing too many reviews these days, wasting time on it even. Tragic but it's true. I don't even know if anyone's bothered to read them yet, though strangely my notice of Slumdog Millionaire was helpful to 0 out of 2 people. Well, perhaps not that strange...
But, I digress: for anyone who cares, I'm just gonna start giving brief summaries of the five aspects of the films I review, the aspects being those that I find the most relevant to virtually all cinema. These will be, in no particular order: acting, writing, directing (including cinematography and technical aspects, such as editing and sound mixing) and longevity/chance for repeated viewings.
Anyway...
Screenplay: The story is that of a comic book origin tale, revamped for modern times, in which a man (Willis) realises that he possesses the gift of virtual invulnerability when he survives a horrific train crash. This is given much more credibility than you might imagine by Shyamalan's restrained treatment of the subject matter. This bloke doesn't sport groin-grabbingly distasteful attire and leap from tall buildings, but instead discovers his hidden abilities through the progression of a slow yet captivating plot, strewn with naturalistic and attentive dialogue, especially the stuff betwixt him and his soon-to-be ex-wife. My favourite written moment (which can be forgiven for seeming a little out of place amongst these otherwise brooding characters) is Elijah (the invaluable Samuel L. Jackson) rebuking a customer in his store ("Do you see a little Asian child with a blank expression on his face..." etc. Classic!). The ending... I'll come back to that.
Actors: Bruce Willis rarely gets a chance to showcase the depth and subtlety that he applies here to Daniel Dunn. Yes, he has a gift in that lines like "Yippee ki-yay, motherf*cker!" seem almost poetic coming out of his mouth, but who knew he had the ability to convey such conflicted and relocatable emotions, made all the more remarkable when considering the, to be fair, absurdity of some of the situations. This same platitude is extended to Jackson, whose fiery and intelligent charisma helps to give some plausibility to his quite ridiculous sensibilities. He also uses discreet mannerisms, in his speech and gestures, to allude to some hidden undertones regarding his feelings towards Daniel. Is it envy he harbors, or something greater? Something deeper?
Direction: As with his best films (The Sixth Sense, Signs), Shyamalan creates an indelible atmosphere in which this story unfolds. The eerie tones are emphasised by well-placed silences and close-ups, while the more frightening moments are defined by lucid lighting and jagged editing. He even uses a not-too-flashy flourish in the opening scene on the train, a long shot without a cut in which Daniel and a stranger's conversation is portrayed through by the camera switching perspective from behind a chair, implicitly seen through the eyes of a curious child.
Potential for repeat viewings: I've just realised that I haven't said a great deal bad about this film, and so I can hardly be justified in giving it a 6. Well, it might help at this point to say that this is my second time watching Unbreakable, and I don't believe I will be rushing back for a third. Yes, it was a pleasant surprise on most counts, a realistic (or close as you can get) superhero movie, without all the overdone conventions. But, to be fair, it is a very slight topic, carried off at an almost disarmingly plodding pace, resulting in a semi-satisfying climax and a less-so denouement. Because this ending, to be honest, is a little WTF; maybe Shyamalan thought that his audiences had come to expect an arbitrary pay-off, a sideswipe that no reasonable person would see coming, a la The Sixth Sense. That reveal was well- executed and actually quite ingenious in that it facilitated all the requirements of the plot while retaining its shock. This one isn't as good, rushed and fairly well impertinent to everything that has come before. But I suppose, in Shyamalan's defense, if you took it away, all those eerie, creepy undertones that you get from Jackson's character would just seem artificial, and they are somewhat necessary to the plot, I suppose.
So, 6/10. The lesser of Shyamalan's good phase... which, at this stage, seems indefinitely the have concluded. A shame.