Astonishing true story told in enjoyable fashion

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2018)

'Unbroken' is a great film, helped immensely by the fact it's based on an almost-unbelievable true story. Laura Hillenbrand's novel was one of the best I've read in the last three years and while the movie isn't quite as great (they never are!), the story of Louis Zamperini (O'Connell)'s extremely eventful life from 1936-1945 truly needs to be seen to be believed. Quick synopsis: he learns to run, goes to the Olympics, joins the U.S. Air Force during WWII, is shot down, stranded at sea (for seven weeks!), eventually captured by the Japanese and spends over two years in a POW camp. Sounds impossible, but what's more astonishing is that he then went on to live for another 70 years!
Jolie's directing debut is solid, with some nice transitions from the current to his past and the narrative moving along at a good pace for the first 90min. my one issue with the film is that the final 45min or so drag a little, as although there's plenty going on during his time in the POW camps (i.e. mostly inhumane torture), the film seems to lose a bit of it's spark. Brisbane/Moreton Bay does a good job of standing in for the South Pacific too!
This is not so much a film about war, as about survival, courage and hope. There's so many times when he could have just given in and let all the terrible things happening to him defeat him, but he doesn't. It's truly amazing to know it actually happened! The ending is handled well and the actors - particularly Ishihara as the psychopathic 'Bird' - are solid.