Well-done, but no plot

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 2015)

"Unbroken" is a well-done movie, but I expected much more of a plot. During the movie, circumstance after circumstance affects the main character, Louis Zamperini, and he endures each of them until the end. Indeed, the theme of the movie is the title - that Zamperini, an American prisoner of war, remained steadfast – or, unbroken - in his ability to withstand the punishment of his Japanese captors. Over and over we see him treated horribly until the end of the movie. Not only is this difficult to watch, but there is little advance of any story. I was hoping to see much more of his running career, more of his family's response to his captivity, and more of his later life. The movie does summarize at the very end the final years of his life and his friends' lives, but it would have been more enjoyable to me to see it performed on screen. I do think that the main intent of the script writer and the director was to demonstrate Zamperini's high integrity and his ability to endure these terrible difficulties as opposed to dramatizing his whole life, but that makes a weak story in my opinion. If you like a movie that simply shows a strong character in the throes of battle, you will enjoy "Unbroken." It is true that we never stop cheering for Zamperini, but it can be hard to watch. I am giving this movie a 7 because I believe that what Angelina Jolie did with the script and the character of the man was well executed, but I was hoping for much more.