Fascinating, intriguing comic book fantasy

Rating: 8/10 (24 July 2001)

No, this isn't a comic book fantasy like the "Batman" films. This is more on the quiet side, but it's also more on the intelligent side. M. Night Shyamalan directed this film in a way that you're intrigued the minute the images appear on screen. Sure, those with a low attention span might not have enough patience to deal with the character development (though a few scenes were redundant and slowed things down a little) and subtle insights into the essence of comic book folklore. Bruce Willis plays an average Joe. He delivers a very effective, yet restrained performance that should (if it hasn't yet) prove his quality as an actor, rather than a performer. Willis' character David Dunn is a security guard at a football stadium in Philadelphia. He has a wife and kid. And suddenly, because of one fatal train ride, his life has taken a turn for the worst--or better. Who knows? Everyone finds it strange and a little bothersome that Dunn was the only one to rise from the violent crash, not only alive but without a scratch. Some find it disturbing because their loved ones died, while he--for no apparent reason--came out in one piece. There's a great deleted scene--if you check out the DVD--where he's sorting out his problems with a local priest. Even the priest doesn't approve of the fact that a member of his family got killed while he lived, because supposedly he's the "Chosen One." Even Dunn himself doesn't know why he's the "Chosen One" and why he's given these powers to make him indestructable. So that sends him out on an investigation, leading him to comic book collector Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson). Jackson's performance is brilliant, as always. He has even more rage towards Dunn because he's the opposite: his disease causes his bones to be very brittle. Dunn is like the hero in this comic book adventure and Elijah is the arch nemesis. Like the filmmakers explained in the extra features section, there's no good unless there's evil and there's no evil unless there's good. And the whole reason for Elijah's search for this "unbreakable" hero was so he can have someone to duel against. That's an example of evil craving good. I love the climax, where the whole story magnificently comes together and all the secrets are revealed.

The cinematography is excellent. It perfectly brings you into the film. And it's nice the way they chose different color patterns to convey the different moods in each scene, and of each character. That's another element that was nicely explained the extra features.
"Unbreakable" is a dark, quietly fascinating thriller that kept me intrigued from start to finish. If you're looking for loud, superficial thrills--this is not the movie for you. If you're looking for something really exciting, but in a subtle way, this is a film you'll enjoy and won't soon forget.

My score: 8 (out of 10)