Disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (22 August 2003)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS
Unbreakable was the first taste I got of M Night Shyamalan and, before viewing it, I had no idea of what it was going to be like or about. When the film had finished, all I could do was think of how much better it could have been.
It essentially tells the story of a man who is seemingly invulnerable, or if you will, unbreakable, who is befriended by the approximate opposite, an unnervingly fragile and injury-prone man. The premise sounds almost like an Adam Sandler comedy but it's told with Shyamalan's patented intrigue and suspense. And yet the story doesn't have nearly as much potential for these elements as his later work, and what in The Sixth Sense is brilliantly creepy and frightening comes off here as just slow, and over-dramatic.
The fact of the matter is that when I thought this was going to be some mad, explosive action thriller, it could well have been the case. I think this would have worked a lot better if it had been directed by McTiernan rather than Shyamalan. The latter directs it sluggishly and tries to pull far too much intrigue from what is, at heart, a very shallow story. Put a few car chases and semi-naked women in this film and you get, okay, very cheesy entertainment, but entertainment nonetheless.
Bruce Willis, also, is another big problem. Once again he fails to grasp the concept of conviction in acting and his sub-average performance in this film is undoubtable testament to his lack of talent. Quite frankly, his light dialogue, heavy action films give him far more credit than when he is required to produce any emotional response or a line requiring dramatic timing. Samuel L Jackson is a little better but not a great deal, while more can be said of Robin Wright Penn who plays Willis's wife.
Overall, an overplayed suspense drama but with a great ending that unfortunately takes a fair while to happen. ***/*****