A brutal watch

Rating: 8/10 (14 December 2015)

'Unbroken' is a tough film to sit through. I've seen characters have a rough time in films before (Donnie Wahlberg's character in the 'Saw' series had an immensely tough time of things), but when you know the film is based on a true story, and if anything is telling the light version of what actually happened, it's pretty tough to think about. I wasn't sure what to expect from Angelina Jolie as an only second time director, but was pleased to find she did a fine job. It was an unexpectedly hard-hitting film for a female to have to direct. There are very few female characters in the story and those that there are get very little screen time. It's a man's film with a woman at the helm and the results are impressive.
Joel and Ethan Coen wrote the screenplay and it shows. It's a very finely written film. The pacing is terrific (the 137 minutes fly by), the dialogue perfect and the tension in almost every scene captured perfectly. Add to that great acting performances by the entire cast and there really isn't a lot to criticise this film for. War films are never going to be to the liking of every viewer, but if you are planning to sit through one anytime soon 'Unbroken' would be fine choice.