Very well done - from air to sea to land

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2015)

This true WWII movie about runner Louis Zamperini feels like several movies in one because a lot is covered - from the air to the sea to the land. So things are kept interesting throughout the 2 hours. Angelina Jolie did a fine job - don't understand the negative criticism. She puts the viewer very much in the place of the protagonists and shows what you need to see with just enough detail. The screenplay by the Coen Brothers is surprisingly lucid. Firstly there is an exciting plane battle which puts the viewer right in the vulnerable position of the crew. The story of Louis's running is inspirational. Then there is the survival in the sea on life rafts for many days. Situations like this have been shown before but here it is particularly well done. Finally the conditions at the prisoner of war camps. There is a lot of brutality shown, more so than previous movies like the recent 'Railway Man'. Can feel for each beating. The production values and technical aspects are top quality.
The acting by Jack O'Connell is winning and convincing. He may not look very Italian even with the dyed black hair, but he gives a moving performance. The weight loss the actors had to endure is painful to watch. The actor playing the sadistic Japanese prison guard looks a bit androgynous - someone more menacing and masculine looking would have been better choice.
This is a moving and harrowing movie that is well made deserving of more Golden Globe and Oscar nominations than it received.