Underrated atmospheric thriller

Rating: Null/10 (17 February 2004)

M Night Shyamalan's eagerly awaited follow-up to the astonishing, genre-defining Sixth Sense may not hit the heady heights of its predecessor, but it is still an intriguing film.
Bruce Willis is American everyman David Dunn. His marriage has fallen apart and he finds it hard to relate to his young son. After years as a security guard at the local football stadium, he goes to New York for a job interview. On the journey home, the train crashes at high speed. Dunn is the only survivor and emerges from the wreckage completely unscathed and something of a media celebrity
His story is followed closely by local comic book enthusiast Elijah Price (Samuel L Jackson), an unhinged loner with a rare genetic disorder that makes him prone to broken bones. Price becomes convinced that Dunn is some kind of super-human, immune to pain or injury, and constantly pesters him about his history and lifestyle. It suddenly dawns on Dunn that he has never had a sick day or been injured in any way his whole life. He also has an uncanny knack of spotting potential trouble-makers and ne'er-do-wells at the football stadium. Price claims his choice of profession was borne of a subconscious desire to protect people and urges him to harness his powers in the conquest of evil.
But Dunn is a reluctant superman. Despite an improvement in his relationship with his son (who is thrilled to have a comic book hero for a Dad) he remains unconvinced he is anything other than normal man (albeit a thick-skinned one).
Shyamalan uses this cleverly - because Dunn is uncertain, so are we, and while the later plot developments teeter on the brink of plausibility, they are never allowed to topple over. This director has mastered the art of suspense like no other before him. Unbreakable does not have the shock factor of the The Sixth Sense - there are few heart-in-mouth moments - but it is just as atmospheric. Shyamalan's world is dark and thick with tension. There are no laughs, no concessions and no light relief despite the faintly preposterous subject matter. The whole experience is uncomfortable yet strangely compelling.
Willis really is excellent, his character is a neat parody of previous screen incarnations (Die Hard, Pulp Fiction etc.) where he traditionally bristles with bravado. Here he is awkward and unsure despite his obvious physical attributes. He also has a terrific foil in Jackson who revels in his role as the most barking wheelchair-bound madman this side of Doctor Strangelove.
Having invented a brand new formula in his first movie, Shyamalan is understandably keen to stick to it in his second. With this in mind, there was always going to be some kind of fantastical twist at the end, and while it isn't as perfect as the one in the Sixth Sense it is satisfying enough.
Perhaps unfairly, the hype may have affected Unbreakable's performance at the Box Office. It may not be ground-breaking, but it is a thoughtful and enjoyable thriller in its own right.
8/10