Drop the ending and you've got a pretty good film

Rating: Null/10 (9 July 2001)

Don't get me wrong, I liked this movie a lot. I respect M Night Shyamalan for letting this movie unfold at its own pace, because too many directors today rush past the establishment of the characters and go straight for the "good stuff" (whatever that means). Mr. Shyamalan goes a different approach, by presenting us with an interesting premise with interesting characters, revealing only so much at a time. Seeing this movie you appreciate the attention to the subtle details, unlike most mainstream movies today. Shyamalan is very daring to make a movie with a relatively quiet, unassuming hero who doesn't beat the crap out of someone every other second.
A note about surprise endings (spoilers ahead!!!)
I like a surprise ending as much as the next guy, but for some reason this one just rubbed me the wrong way. After thinking about it for a while, I fugured out why I didn't like it. It was completely unnecessary. If you cut the ending from the film, you would still have a complete story, and I don't think anyone would complain. The surprise ending in the Sixth Sense, on the other hand, was necessary. The problem with the young boy had been solved, but you felt that the movie wasn't over, because the situation with his wife still hadn't been resolved. The surprise ending accomplished that, and gave the audience (and the hero) emotional closure, whereas the ending of Unbreakable was just tacked on the end, with no reason for existing other than to shock us.