Competent WW II survival "true story"

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2015)

What do you get when the Coen brothers write the script and Angelina Jolie directs? At a minimum a solidly done film of survival against all odds during WW II.
The plot ranges from floating for months in a raft after an aircraft engine failure, to prisoner of war camps in Japan, and finally within a hair's breath of execution just as US planes fly over, with a happy "kiss the American soil and meet the family again" ending.
I can't give it less than 7 because the cinematography is nice, the effects serve the story and not the other way around, the script is solid, and so is the directing and acting by a bunch of newcomers. We can forgive embellishments like nicely trimmed-looking beards after feeding on raw shark for 45 days in a raft - at least the two survivors looked emaciated. To enjoy what this film has to offer, we must also forgive the somewhat routine directing and acting, as well as the competent but not extraordinary score, although this film could have used Howard Shore in Lord-of-the-Rings form to shore up its emotions a bit.
Still, I am much more forgiving when a film under-hams than when it over-hams, and this film treats all its subjects fairly laconically, even the Japanese camp commander with an inferiority complex, and certainly our Olympic runner hero-turned-prisoner of war. It's also a nice touch how major characters come and suddenly go, as tends to be the case in real life where people get separated against their hopes and expectations. It's not surprising that no Oscars were forthcoming, but I think this film will be better liked than most of the overly sappy Hollywood fare in this genre as time goes on, hence my 7/10.
In my opinion, it's definitely worth a rental, and will keep most viewers interested in the characters and story, even though we know in advance how this true story is going to end. I enjoyed it during a 2 hour, 16 minute session on my exercise bike, and it certainly kept me happily pedaling away.