not bad, but missed the mark

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2014)

I went into this movie knowing only a little about the story, but for the most part I enjoyed it. I was hooked right away, and I especially liked the performance of O'Connell, Gleeson, and Ishihara.
The movie's downfall is the story structure. I find it interesting that a lot of critics note how the story does not have a strong ending. Well, frankly, that's because Louis Zamperini's turning point was not in a raft or a Japanese POW camp--it was when he went to a Billy Graham conference.
The end text talks about how Zamperini gave his life to God, but the movie wants you to believe what made him the man he was the experience depicted in the movie. In reality it was his struggle back into civilian life, to forgive his enemy, and ultimately to commit his life to God, as he promised during the storm.
I tend to rate on the lower end, so I'm giving it 6/10. Not enough in it to give it a 7. Acting performance was 9/10, but the story and some of the VFX lacked. See it if you read the book, otherwise move on or wait for DVD.