Can Faith Keep You From Breaking?

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2018)

The 2014 film, Unbroken, is the true story of Louis "Louie" Zamperini, who survived 47 days at sea and two years in Japanese prisoner of war camps during World War II. Directed by Angelina Jolie, Unbroken is based on the 2010 book of the same name by Laura Hillenbrand. Jack O'Connell plays the role of Louie Zamperini, and Domhnall Gleeson and Miyavi join him in the supporting roles of Phil and Watanabe. The title appropriately describes Zamperini's spirit and body despite the harsh conditions and abuse he endures during his life. Unbroken powerfully portrays the amazing life of Louie Zamperini and shows how belief in yourself and strong faith can help people survive the harshest of life's circumstances.
Louie grew up as a troubled Italian immigrant. Thanks to his brother, Pete, he turned to running to stay out of trouble and release his frustrations, and he was chosen to be an Olympic runner for the United States of America. In the 1934 Olympics, Louie set a last lap record of 56 seconds, and the experience left him looking forward to the next opportunity in Tokyo. These Olympics were not in his future, and instead, Louie was commissioned by the military as a Lieutenant. During a rescue mission, his plane crashed and only three survived. Louie survived on a raft for 47 days and is eventually found by a Japanese Warship. The Japanese take Louie and his one surviving companion, Phil, to a Japanese prison camp where Louie is personally tortured by, "The Bird." Louie is extremely tough throughout his journey and uses other people's faith and belief to build him up.
The movie is the life story of Louie, so much is portrayed from his perspective. Though the movie is very plot-driven, the theme of "if you can take it you can make it" is a prime focus. Pete, Louie's older brother, coined this quote to encourage Louie to make it despite the adversities he faced. Louie is always experiencing troubles, and yet he is always able to channel enough strength to power through. There were many times in which Louie could have easily died, but he carried on and survived. Louie thrives on the faith of others and their belief in him to continue. At the beginning of the film, Louie's mother is praying that her family will be helped and that her son Louie would begin to behave. He also admires his fellow soldier, Phil's faith. Louie uses the encouragement of his brother and others to first make the track team and later survive the abuses of war. Another example of his perseverance is when Louie is running in the Olympics, and he begins to fall behind. He then hears his brother Pete in his head saying, "Come on Louie" and he runs the Olympic record for the final lap of his race. Louie was also part of a bombing in which Phil, the pilot, was praying that they were not hit by a bomb and Louie is calmed and given hope from Phil's prayer. Finally, when Louie arrives at the prison camp, he meets a cabin guard who tells Louie that he can survive his beatings, and he takes this advice, as it reminds him that "if you can take it you can make it."
The movie tells the story from the perspective of Louie and some characters are missing for parts of the story. For example, when Phil and Louie get separated, there was a significant part of the movie where viewers are uncertain if he survived the war. In addition, Pete provided significant influence and support to Louie, but viewers do not get to know him as a person. "The Bird" was a horrid person both in real life and in the movie, but the story provides no background on him. His history may have added an interesting perspective to the movie and how he became so cruel.
While Unbroken is action-packed, emotionally moving, and full of historical details, there are elements of the movie that may disturb some viewers. Violence and death are common elements of the movie. In the beginning, soldiers are killed in air battle, and Zamperini's friend, Mac, dies after about 30 days at sea. During the years in the POW camp, Zamperini and other suffer unimaginable abuse at the hands of the Bird. In one scene, Zamperini is beaten by what looks like hundreds of soldiers and is left to suffer on the grounds of the camp. While these scenes may be too heavy for some movies, they are not as graphic as many other war movies. The movie is rated PG-13, and much language and violence that was common to war is not present in this film. Editors likely eliminated more realistic elements of war to allow for a wider range of viewers. Another element of the movie that could be improved relates to some of the scenery and filmography. There are scenes in the movie that did not seem to be real or historically realistic. The initial scenes from the airplanes look too clear and perfect to be a war scene. The plane flew smoothly despite bullets penetrating it and killing some passengers. Also, when Zamperini is taken to the Tokyo radio station to speak to Americans, the buildings and setting seem too modern to be World War II Japan. Unbroken is a well made historical film that tells one man's victorious survival through great peril. Louie is quite a likeable character who will appeal very much to people in the ages 12 and up. Despite the lack of some realistic war elements, this film is still overall historically accurate and touching. This movie is best suited for families with older children, or history fans interested in WWII or American heroes.