Stretching The Boundaries Of Possibility

Rating: 8/10 (4 March 2017)

In the canon of M. Night Shyamalan, movies like "The Sixth Sense", "Signs", and even "Lady in the Water" (provided you view it with the right perspective) can be enjoyed again and again. "Unbreakable" is a little different in that it doesn't hold up quite as well to multiple viewings. However, the first viewing will still provide a mind-bending experience worthy of M. Night.
For a basic plot summary, "Unbreakable" focuses on David Dunn (Bruce Willis), who walks away from a horrible train wreck as the only survivor...and without a scratch on him. After meeting with eccentric comic book dealer "Mr. Glass" (Samuel L. Jackson), David begins to question whether or not that train wreck survival was a "miracle" at all. When he discovers that he has never been sick that he can remember and that he possess certain prognosticative powers, he begins to wonder just who (or what) exactly he might be.
This film is typical M. Night fare in that it weaves a great mystery and gets you thinking all the way through. It isn't a "sit back and pop the popcorn" kind of flick. Instead, it thrives on the viewer using some mental effort and getting caught up in the seemingly impossible tale of David Dunn and Mr. Glass. As such, it might be a bit slow for some viewers, but if you like any of M. Night's other works (or even those type of movies) you'll have no trouble here.
About the only bad thing I have to say about this film is that it is only truly remarkable on the first viewing. After that (unless you have a short memory!) it doesn't hold up quite as well to multiple viewings. The reason? This one is ALL about the mystery, lacking the strong auxiliary characters like "Sixth Sense" or "Signs".
Overall, "Unbreakable" is a fine film that showcases the M. Night mysterious style of film- making. If you are in the mood for a great mind-bending mystery and haven't seen this one before, you are in for a treat.