A true original, criminally underrated

Rating: Null/10 (17 March 2002)

I was really disappointed in the negative and/or lukewarm reviews when this film first came out. 'Unbreakable' is every bit as good if not better than 'The Sixth Sense'. But while the Sixth Sense was an excellent updating of ghost stories, Unbreakable is a true original. It is a super hero tale set in the real world.
Perhaps the subject matter is what turned some critics off. Yet director Shyamalan treats his film with utmost intelligence and seriousness. In fact this is really an intimate character drama about two people who are, for one reason or another depressed and dissatisfied with their lives, and how their paths interlock.
Bruce Willis gives an excellent performance as a security guard who feels unhappy with his job (I would too if I were a security guard). Samuel L. Jackson is also excellent as the crippled and slightly nutty comic book collector who believes that superheroes really do walk the earth.
See it!