woefully underrated

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2000)

Even though this film has a relatively good rating as of this writing, I cannot help but feel it deserves much better.
I also cannot help but notice how many people are comparing Unbreakable to The Sixth Sense, which I suppose is inevitable. What I cannot understand is that many notice the similarity in style between the two films and levy objections - even some that enjoyed The Sixth Sense. My question is: what did these people expect? The fact is, many directors, especially great and memorable directors, do have distinctive styles that follow them from film to film. Consider Hitchcock, Lean, the Coen Brothers, or, to a lesser extent, Gilliam. All of them make films that are, in some ways, similar, and all of them make films that stand apart from each other. The same, thus far, is true of Shyamalan. I can only suppose he is receiving such a backlash because of his high profile, but I believe this is unfair.
That said, I must admit that I was worried walking into Unbreakable specifically because I did love The Sixth Sense so much. Indeed, The Sixth Sense is one of my favorite movies, but it was the first of Shyamalan's films that I had seen (though it was not his first film as many suppose). In similar situations, I have been disappointed, such as when Frank Darabont followed The Shawshank Redemption with The Green Mile and Bryan Singer followed The Usual Suspects with Apt Pupil.
Shyamalan, however, manages to retain the strengths of his style while once again exploring an established genre in a totally new way. Unbreakable is a super hero movie, but while most films of this type are pure escapism, Shyamalan infuses his movie with an interesting theme: the nature and necessity of dichotomy. What's really great, however, is that Shyamalan not only addresses this theme through character and plot progression, but also through the visual element.
Also, I must admit I love the ending. Indeed, I believe it's the only reasonable ending relative to the theme. For this reason, I don't know if I would even consider it to be a "twist." I do think the written epilogue is unnecessary, but that is a minor objection.
Furthermore, Shyamalan's able direction is aided by a great cast. As usual, Bruce Willis makes the perfect everyman and is easy to relate to. And I have long been a fan of Samuel L. Jackson, who generally stands out as a great performer even in his most average films (I also can't help but respect the fact that he looks different in almost all of his films, including this one). The two play well off of each other, Willis's average guy providing the perfect counterpoint to Jackson's eccentric. The rest of the cast is good as well, particularly Charlayne Woodard as Jackson's mother.
I admit that Unbreakable's has some flaws, particularly the convenient occupation of Willis's wife and the aforementioned epilogue. However, these flaws are greatly overpowered by the film's strengths, and thus I am more apt to forgive them then usual.
I do not often give films a "10" rating. Of the 335 films I have rated at this site thus far, this is only the thirteenth. But, I buy movies even less often, as rental is usually enough for me, and I already plan to own Unbreakable. It is a movie that I believe demands and deserves multiple viewings. I have already seen it twice, and I cannot wait to add it to my small personal collection. 10/10