Not knowing makes "Unbreakable" even better that its perfection

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2000)

By JORGE MONTES Arts Editor

Let's make it clear from the very beginning. `Unbreakable' earns a five out of five in my book. As far as everything goes, story, acting, directing, etc., this film was top-notch. It deserves superlative awards all around for being just that great.
However, `Unbreakable' provides an awful dilemma for me. As a critic, I am supposed to tell you what the movie is about and if it's any good. It's my job and I enjoy doing it well. But I am a film critic for one reason alone; I love movies. I'm a true movie and I love everything about the process of creating these stories through pictures and sound. The concept is just so extraordinary for me; I want to make it a part of my life.
This is the part of me that's making it so hard to review this film.
It's a big of a God complex being a critic. We go around hoping that our opinions actually mean something. We go around hoping that somewhere out there, a person has read a review that we wrote and based on our review, decided whether or not to see a particular film. But most of all, we go around hoping we're right.
Now, for those of you who truly want to enjoy this film as much as I did, I'm going to ask you to do something drastic: stop reading my story. Go on. Stop. Read another review. Try Buzz (I take just as much care with that as I do an article). Just whatever you do, do not continue reading this article.
Part of the thrill of this movie is learning what's going to happen from the film itself. If you find yourself going out of your way to learn more about a movie than you should know, I come to tell you that as a compatriot, you're just ruining the experience of motion pictures. `Unbreakable' has proven that for me. If you're still reading, this is your last warning because starting the next sentence, I'm talking in specifics.
David Dunne (Bruce Willis) is a security guard at a college football stadium who ends up being the only surviving victim of a train wreck. Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) is a man whom since birth has had the rare disorder called `osteogenesis imperfecta,' which means he has extremely brittle bones that shatter very easily. Elijah has some interesting theories about why David survived.
That's it. Honest to goodness, that's the plot. A lot of people were actually bugged when they found out the trailer told them nothing about what the movie was about. Well guess what? That's all you need to know. The rest of the film is a slow-moving evolution of these simple ideas that gradually get more complex.
People who were fans of `The Sixth Sense' and expecting the same kind of thing will not be disappointed, but the two films are very different in their construction. Where `The Sixth Sense' builds with an intensity and dramatic fervor, finishing on a hidden, yet always visible ending, `Unbreakable' is much slower, lingering on characters every breath and reaction, floating like a feather to finally landing on a hidden, yet always visible ending.
The greatest accomplishment in the film is that of writer and director M. Night Shyamalan. Since his huge success with `The Sixth Sense,' Shyamalan has matured as a writer, and particularly as a director. The story never looses its dream-like edge, feeding of the characters' personalities. The film never needs to go too much into establishing the characters (although it does anyway) because from the very first moment on screen, it's clear who they are.
Each shot is perfectly framed, often using balance to create an almost excessively perfect photo-realistic painting feel to each shot. The symmetry is visually wonderful, yet never totally distracting and leave the audience caught in a world that they know isn't real, but they still feel a part of it.
I feel I need to note the affinity Shyamalan has for comic books and how much that plays into the movie. Now hear me out, I'm not saying `Unbreakable' is only for geeks who love `X-Men' and know the subtle nuances of the art (although it doesn't hurt). Shyamalan has attempted to recreate the soft, shadowy feel of many modern graphic novellas while never going dark, gothic or Tim Burton on the viewer. Many of the frames could be cut out of the reel and with the addition of thought bubbles, be turned into a comic. The effect is that good.
Ultimately though, `Unbreakable' is about more than just a great movie; it's about an audience willing to let the filmmaker take them on an unexpected ride. Shyamalan deserves that opportunity to whisk us away and he doesn't disappoint. It's a tad distressed to read that `Unbreakable' will be made into a trilogy because, despite an ending that you tug at for more, some things are just better left unsaid.
With the holiday season finally starting, imagine `Unbreakable' as that present you got as a kid that was in an odd shape and you thought you knew what was inside but you wanted to wait until just the right moment to find out what was inside because you were honestly pretty much stumped. As you watch the movie, let the ribbons come off and be glad you didn't tear away at any corners to take a peek.