A Movie Judged by What Is and Not By Expectations

Rating: 9/10 (2 January 2015)

I liked the movie Unbroken and it is interesting by the standards others are judging this movie, which isn't fair. These are a summary of the detractor: -Knocking Angelina Jolie is not fair: I thought the story was told in excellent manner and the script put on the screen what I would want to see. -The movie could had been a mini series: agree this could had been a 2 part movie with the first part fully dealing with Zamperini's track career and ending at Zamperini taken to Kwajalein island. The 2nd part could include the parts where he was kept in a secret prison and going through Zamperini meeting with the Japanese POW's in 1950. Jimmy Sasaki could had been in such a 2 part movie. However, that is not the movie which was made. -Should had included Billy Graham: agree, provided it was Zamperini's change and dealing with PTSD that was the focus. -Japanese were much more brutal that depicted: agree,the movie could had shown that and the ways men held up as POW's.
I am happy with the story as told and making it to the screen, but it fell short of a great movie. I just did not get Jack O'Donnell as Zamperini. It wasn't that he was terrible, it was that he didn't have Zamperini's presence which comes through in his a autobiography and the Hillenbrand book. I expected far more from the Cohen brothers script, they have done far better, this was rather flat compared to their best efforts. Making the Bird more human was a mistake, he was 22nd most wanted war criminal by MacArthur. Its like this was a concession to get into the Japan market. The men were far less healthy at the end of the war than as shown. A story with humor relief that could had come from how the men coped, elements in the book but left out, allowing the movie drag. My 9/10 could be an 8, but the I appreciate that the movie got made as it was long overdue.