A surprisingly strong film

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2002)

This part of this review is a non-spoiler for those of you who wish to be surprised by the film. In a few paragraphs you will be warned that spoiler material is about to arrive.
Unbreakable is a film done by M. Night Shyamalan, the man who wrote and directed the surprise hit "The Sixth Sense" and later the very awful "Signs". The Sixth Sense was well regarded by many largely because of the surprise ending, and by the realization that Bruce Willis can actually act. However, while the Sixth Sense was well regarded by critics and filmgoers, after you know the surprise it lost much of its luster. The Sixth Sense was also massively flawed in several key areas which made repeat viewings difficult and often painful. The young boy star of the film also became quickly overexposed, and proved to be a fairly dense representative of his craft.
Unbreakable is similar in several ways, and many are drawing quick parallels between the two. Both films are by the same director. Both films star Bruce Willis. Both are within the thriller genre. The filming style is near identical between the two. Most importantly, both are advertised as having "twist" endings.
However, while the films are similar on paper, the actual resemblance is like comparing a dinner at McDonalds to a fine steak dinner in a five star restaurant. While the Sixth Sense banked on the twists to ultimately make the film, Unbreakable delivered without the cheap tricks needed to catch the audience. The Sixth Sense was a decent film on the surface... but Unbreakable is a great film in nearly every aspect.
Warning: The below material is considered a spoiler.
The big surprise with Unbreakable lies with Samuel Jackson. Unbreakable stars Bruce Willis and Samuel Jackson, with both men on opposite ends of the spectrum. This is key to the film, and one of the reasons that Unbreakable is a far better film than the Sixth Sense. Unlike the goofy secret in that film that doesn't hold up if you think about it long enough... this one makes good sense, and the clues left throughout the film actually lead logically to the ending.
Unbreakable is a superhero film, but it's not obvious to casual viewers because in the past superhero films are filmed as action flicks and not as thriller/dramas. The closest film to Unbreakable would be Darkman, but even that film had an "over the top" feel that Unbreakable does not. Unbreakable actually does seem like a "real" superhero film... and so it works as one of the best ever made, if not *the* best ever made. The film is a very smartly done tip of the hat to the comic book genre.
Bruce Willis is unable to be harmed physically, has superhuman strength, and the ability to read evil intent through touch. He also has a good heart... and has made huge sacrifices in his life for others. He doesn't know that he has powers, and his discovery of this fact is the main focus of the film. His family life is a wreck, but like his powers the reasons behind this are revealed over the course of the film. Unbreakable is a story of discovery, and it nicely fits that the various plots of the film are rolled out over time rather than being simply thrust at you. By writing the film this way the audience grows into the movie and thus it is far more effective in selling the emotions and trials of the characters.
Samuel Jackson, as mentioned above, is the opposite of Willis. Born with a bone disease, Jackson is accident prone. Over his life he has had more than 60 fractures, and now lives his life with extreme care. Padding lines the walls of his car, his home and shop is equipped with ramps and handlebars. He's live his life with this disease, and because of the lack of physical activity he started reading comic books at a young age. This fact seems trivial, but it effected his thinking. Jackson reasoned that if he was more accident prone, there must be someone who is less accident prone. Thus, Jackson has began searching for great tragedies that had one key element: they had one survivor. One person who miraculously survived without a scratch.
Samuel Jackson is the villain in the film. The disease which wrecked his life has also led to an obsession to find his opposite. Not only did he look into great tragedies to find the sole survivor... Samuel Jackson decided to actually cause the tragedies to speed his search. His villainy fits with the comic feel of the film in several ways which are revealed throughout the film.
If you have read this far, there aren't really any secrets left. This won't stop you from enjoying what is an amazingly good film. Bruce Willis doesn't have a demanding acting role in this film... but perhaps because of that he seems brilliant in his role. Casting can be key to the success of a film... and this film was cast very, very well.