A thinking man's movie!

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2001)

Unbreakable (the movie) is an ingenious work of art. Art because it's slightly abstract in nature and leaves room for everyone to draw his/her own conclusion(s). Moreover, the plot, script and direction is indulgent to such an extent that it toys with the viewer's patience and imagination (some people are bound to feel that way, I didn't). It needs to be emphasized however, that it's not a complex, highly abstract phenomena we are talking about, but a story set on a very simple premise. It's important that anyone who hasn't seen the movie should NOT spoil his/her fun by reading any further. If you are looking for a quick rating, then in my book it gets a 10/10 because when the movie ended, I uttered `brilliant' inadvertently.

********************************************** The following section contains an in depth analysis and some spoilers. I highly recommend that only people who have seen the film read further.
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Unbreakable is a mature film, for the 12 year old residing with in, every mature adult. Sounds paradoxical? Well, it sort of IS paradoxical because the treatment of the film, the lighting effects, the screenplay (there are hardly any humorous scenes) and the acting will not appeal to 12 year olds, but anyone who loved reading comic books as a kid, will lap up the content and the message of the film, instantly. I remember reading books on Superman and Max Luthor. Kryptonite, the planet Krypton, Clark Kent, Louis Lane, bring back memories of a world that really existed in my imagination. That's not all. I remember reading Fauladi Singh comics, about a local sci-fi savior of the planet, residing on the other side of the Pacific.
What a fantasy world that is. What's common about super-heroes is that they add wings to a child's imagination. Their effect is so deep rooted that we start seeing the world through their eyes, until age and 'reality' take over. The question is, what happens when a child does NOT come to terms with reality and still resides, in his make-believe world, as he grows up? Or is 'reality' different from what we perceive it to be? There is a dialogue in the film where Samuel L Jackson suggests that comic books are symbolic epitomes of life and man has always used figures to illustrate superhuman feats. Comic books are in fact extensions of our own history, our heritage. They represent facts of life, albeit in an exaggerated fashion. That in essence, forms the basic premise of the film.
Unbreakable unabashedly, IS a film about super-heroes. It's a film that vaguely questions the reason behind our existence. The film thrives on the perennial and epic battle between good and evil. It's also a suspenseful drama and although, it doesn't end with a knock out punch like `The Sixth Sense', the final scene is supposed (and meant) to shock the viewer. As one can see, there's no specific genre to which the film belongs. In many ways however, it becomes discernable that we are watching the work of the man behind `The Sixth Sense'. The story again is set in Philadelphia. Bruce Willis shares a rather `uneasy' relationship with his kid. The whole film has been shot with blue filters, giving the film a `spooky' look and furthermore, there is a surprise `twist' in the end. But the similarity ends there. I think (and I might be surprising a lot of people here) that Unbreakable is a superior product coming from Shyamalan. Yes, I mean to say that Unbreakable is better than `The Sixth Sense', which I think is overrated!
Why I think the film is brilliant? Simple, it breaks trends and stereotypes. It puts forth a new theory and makes the viewer think. Super-heroes are not infallible. They are not always busy fighting crime and as the film suggests, there might be super-heroes, who are not even aware that they have been gifted with superhuman powers! And yes, taking into account, nature's balancing act, if there's a super-hero then there should be a super-villain too. The arch-nemesis, the symbol of evil, whose very existence, is dependent on his battle with the super-hero. Only in this case, the hero (David Dunn played by Bruce Willis) is a confused and depressed individual. His marriage is on the rocks and he wakes up sad every morning. The first indication that he is a super-hero comes, when he escapes from a train derailment, where all other passengers excluding him, are killed. Only he comes out, without a scratch on his body.
He never falls sick, something that even he failed to notice. On the other end of the spectrum, there is Elijah Price (Samuel L Jackson) who is born with a congenital defect that makes his body too brittle. He has suffered 54 fractures during the course of his life and has spent most of his time inside the hospital, reading comic books. Elijah and David are connected together by a metaphysical force, stresses Elijah and he is the one who asks David if he has ever fallen sick in his life.
WARNING: ****** Major SPOILER ahead******
Now I move on to the part, which I think makes this movie a standout. The questions and the theories the film espouses. Super-heroes need not be any different from a common man, except for the fact that they might have some highly developed instincts. Premonition for example is such an instinct. Telepathy is another and in this case, the hero is gifted with a `contact-flashback' along with a body, which is....UNBREAKABLE! That's theory #1. This also answers the question as to why our hero wakes up sad every morning. It's because he's not doing what he is supposed to do. Protect people, save the world, that's his real job (Theory #2). The question now is, what power is his nemesis gifted with, apart from a very shrewd brain? The film unfortunately doesn't tell. If we now look at the large picture, for every hideous monster in this world, whose crimes make us wince with disgust, there could be an anonymous savior, whose heroic acts go largely unnoticed. That's theory #3! More like conclusion #1 that I drew from the movie.
Another question is, just imagine what would have happened if Elijah hadn't been lucky, in finding out `the opposite end of the spectrum' after just 3 attempts. That's the most horrifying conjecture of all. Unbreakable, therefore is a masterpiece in my book. It's highly intelligent in it's tone and everything (lighting, screenplay, the slow pace and the acting, which is highly subtle) in the film, only serves to accentuate the effect, it has on your mind. There are very few films that can serve as compelling examples of cinema that is high on content and intellect. Unbreakable undoubtedly, fits the bill for people who are fascinated by films that make you think. I know, I still haven't stopped thinking!