A Short Movie of a Great Long Book is a Daunting Challenge

Rating: 8/10 (31 December 2014)

Some of the following could be considered a spoiler. After reading the book and being impacted greatly by the story of Louis Zamporini, I have NO idea what it would be like to watch this movie without knowing anything about Zamporini. I'd love to read a review from that perspective. I believe this story deserves to be a mini-series at some point. I wouldn't start with the flight as the book does. I would start with Zamporini as a troubled youth. I agree with others that a narrator would have helped a great deal. In fact, I would base the series on Hillenbrand working with Zamporini to put the book together. I believe the time and effort to get the story into book form is as much a story as Zamporini himself. The book has 50 pages of bibliography references. It's a historical masterpiece. I guess I was expecting and hoping the movie would suck me in like Castaway did many years ago. However, with all that in mind, the movie deserves a high rating in my opinion. I saw key components of the long, detailed book in less than 140 minutes on screen. If you loved the book and didn't like the movie, fine. If you saw the movie and wonder what the big deal is, then take the time to read the book. It's a story that should have been mandatory reading in history classes in America. I can't help but think it was purposely left out of the classroom for political reasons. This book is truth and the Truth will set you free.