Fascinating, Captivating and Underrated...

Rating: 10/10 (10 September 2003)

As I'm sure film lovers are probably used to hearing and saying now, Unbreakable is definitely the most underrated film so far this decade. Director M. Night Shyamalan has not forgotten what it takes to captivate an audience in a slow-paced drama. It is without a doubt that this is the best super-hero movie ever made. While all other super-hero movies deal with action, adventure, and martial arts, Unbreakable shows how a super-hero would really be if he were living in the real world. (I won't go any further into the plot than to say that this is the most realistic super-hero movie that makes you question the others.) As always, Samuel L. Jackson is great. Even in horrible movies, the scenes that he is in are worth it. Unbreakable, however, is a great movie where Sam Jackson is acting above and beyond potential. (does that make sense?) Bruce Willis plays an outstanding role as a man who discovers he might have "special powers". His extreme silence and pensiveness is comparable only to his role in "The Sixth Sense", and perhaps Billy Bob Thornton in "The Man Who Wasn't There". It's amazing that one of his powers wasn't telepathy, because midway through the movie we feel like we can read his thoughts and emotions, without excessive dialog. Robin Wright-Penn is excellent as the wife who adds that perfect sense of "Come back down to Earth, Bruce" that we need to keep the movie realistic. Every scene in this movie is darkly silent and eerie. And, just like every other great slow-paced film, it gives you a treat every now and then. When that happens, the audience is taken completely off guard. This is the kind of movie where as the credits are rolling the audience is still sitting with their mouths open. If you watch this movie, you have to let yourself be absorbed into it. If you go in expecting X-Men, you will be disappointed. Expect a film that says that they can still make them like they used to, and you'll love this movie.