Everything looks great but it is still missing something

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2014)

"Unbroken" is the story of Louis Zamperini. The events of his life are beyond unbelievable and present the vision of a great bio-picture. Growing up in the poor slums of New York as an Italian-American, Louis participated in the 5,000 meter race at the 1936 Munich Olympic Games, fought as a bombardier in World War II, crashed landed in the Pacific Ocean only to be captured by the Japanese navy, where he spent two years as POW under the ruthless supervision of a Corporal Watanabe. There are so many fascinating components of his life that no wonder Angelina Jolie chose to shoot a film about him. The under dog story of his success, his defiance against both death and the brutality of the Japanese are the makings of an Oscar bait bio-pic.
What I really liked about "Unbroken" is how Jolie depicts Louis with the dignity and respect of a newly found iconic figure and war veteran. There are times where he seems to be displayed as almost a perfect, god-like individual. He is but a man, yet the movie makes him more than that. Great legends and stories are often molded from such feats of humanity. Jolie has also surrounded herself with some of the best geniuses in the business. The Coen Brothers wrote the script. Roger Deakins captured the cinematography. Alexandre Desplat composed the musical score. Nothing could potentially weight this movie down with such a great team.
While technically sound and backed with an intriguing character, "Unbroken" fails to engage me on an emotional level. Never do I really feel like applauding or rooting for the hero. I never feel like crying over his hardships or his loss of friends from the war. There is no 'oomph,' nor is there really any soul in the film. It is almost as if simply because we see Louis achieve greatness we are supposed to feel empathy for his character. Though I applaud the real man for how he had triumphed, I cannot do the same with Jack O'Connel in the pivotal role. His acting is quite flat and uninspiring. The other characters feel more like caricatures of the time versus actual people. There's the evil Japanese corporal who has it out for Louis. There is the friend who is weaker in will that relies on Louis to survive. There's the older brother who helped guide his life. There is his dad who wants to keep the family united. There is the mother who does nothing but cry when she is on camera. Get the picture? All one-dimensional personalities.
The story structure does not help much either. The bulk of the plot centers on Louis's World War II experience, with intermittent flashbacks of his childhood and career as an athlete. Any one part of his life can be turned into a solid feature. Cramming it all in together is okay, but it suppresses other details of his life. In fact, the film ends abruptly as he returns home from WWII. His journey back home is just as important as the other parts of his life. Then again, only so much can be covered in a feature film. When it exceeds the 2.5 hour mark, it gets dull. Fortunately, "Unbroken" is not a boring movie by any means. It just takes certain parts of his life precedent over other ones.
I am sad that Louis Zamperini did not live to see the final product. I am sure he would have felt some catharsis and personal self-reflection if he had viewed this film. "Unbroken" is not a bad effort by Jolie and her team. It's just not the masterpiece that it could have been.