Expect the Unexpected

Rating: 10/10 (4 November 2002)

Welcome to writer-director-and producer M.Night Shyamalan's world of hushed silence, where the mystery is heightened by whispers that echoes through a dark world filled with questionable riddles and intriguing questions.
Shyamalan knows how to tell a story. Actually he knows more than that. He knows how to make a good, entertaining and thought provoking film. He stunned audiences world-wide with his ingeniously brainy The Sixth Sense, and now delivers Unbreakable, an equally challenging thriller.
Bruce Willis plays a Security guard and soul survivor of a train crash. When he is contacted by Elijah (Samuel.L.Jackson), a comic book specialist who is nicknamed "Mr.Glass" due to his "breakable" bones, a strange plot starts to unravel.
The story focuses on the dynamics between two characters who are, according to Elijah, at "opposite ends of the spectrum". The one is "Unbreakable" who survives many disasters, the other is "Breakable", a victim of the smallest disaster.
It is interesting how Shyamalan uses colour throughout the story to illustrate and underscore the different worlds: the world and clothes of Willis' character are bathed in subdued greens and earthy colours; Jackson's character is strongly projected through dark purple and black; and the characters who serve as a connection between the two worlds are dressed in bright reds and orange. It is almost as if there is a fusion between the world of comic books and the real world.
Shyamalan explores all facets of the complex character driven story. He deals with characters we care about and understand.
The set-up creates a strong line of dramatic action. We want to lift the veil of secrecy that troubles our hero and put the pieces of the puzzle together.
The thorough exposition builds to an explosive confrontation between the conscious and the unconscious, the real world and fantasy, and between the opposing characters.
It culminates in a mind boggling resolution with an ending that is totally unexpected, yet fully comprehensible.
Unbreakable is not a sequel to Sixth Sense. Don't be on the lookout for similarities and clever twists. Simply allow the story to unfold and don't let your expectations cripple the enjoyment you will derive from the experience.