An intriguing Good vs. Evil story that struggles to deliver it's main character's payoff.

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2000)

Before seeing this film, several friends had told me how terrible it was. Needless to say, I went into the theater not expecting to be impressed. As the film began I found myself becoming completely engrossed in the subtle performances and M. Night's distinct directing style. Quiet scenes delicately pulled me into the story as I began rooting for David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a man who survives a catastrophic train wreck and is left asking the question "What if I am unbreakable?" Samuel L. Jackson plays a character who is very much breakable, a man who has spent his entire life getting injured due to a protein deficiency.
Halfway through the film I had discarded my friends opinion of this movie. I was so fascinated with the concept of the story that I couldn't wait for the inevitable payoff... Unfortunately, it never came. In all fairness, I should state that there was in fact a little bit of a payoff. However, the payoff is more of a fizzle than a bang. Also, I knew what the surprise ending was going to be ten minutes before we got the big clue. Perhaps it is because my observation of this film was too keen that I wasn't blindsided by the outcome of the characters. Either way, I was left with the same feeling I had after the Sixth Sense (another film in which I had guessed the ending), that Mr. Shyamalan is a wonderfully creative and visionary writer, a sensitive director, and a great conductor of our emotions. It is too bad that he never allows his characters to fully realize their potential. Rather, the characters in his films seem more like small elements of a broader picture, never really getting to transcend the story that they are trapped in. Perhaps when this new director's career matures, we will be able to view all his works and see what that bigger picture is. In the mean time, I sit anxious for the next film from this new voice in American Cinema...