Endure the unendurable

Rating: 8/10 (27 March 2015)

By any stretch of the imagination Louis Zamperini was a hero and role model in any number of ways. In getting to see a rough cut of Angelina Jolie's film before he died, he got to see how millions and millions unborn will get to see his life. I think that's something you can't ask for more.
If it wasn't for what Jesse Owens did in the 1936 Olympics Zamperini's story would be more well known even before Unbroken came out. A kid who had a lot of trouble with the law as a juvenile delinquent and a kid whose family was the only one of Italian origin from his small town of Torrance, California he felt the pangs of discrimination. A wise older brother told him to find an outlet and channel his energies into more constructive ways. Track and field became his outlet and in his time he became a legend, sad to say for posterity eclipsed by that other legend of Jesse Owens and the gold he won at Hitler's show palace in Berlin.
He was training for the upcoming Olympics scheduled for Tokyo in 1940 when the World War broke out putting a lot of things in the world on hold. In the Armed Services Zamperini became a gunner in the Army Air Corps and got shot down and with two others one of whom died he was on a life raft for over a month.
Rescue comes in the form of the Japanese and he and his fellow survivor spend a couple of years as Japanese prisoners and their treatment of captives was legendarily sadistic. His own strength of character permitted him to endure the unendurable. And he got to see Tokyo from an interesting point of view.
I have to say that I did not recognize most of the players in Unbroken, but probably that was better because it became more authentic. Jack O'Connell plays Zamperini and Garrett Hedlund plays his fellow survivor from the plane and the prison. Takamasha Ishihara plays one of the prison camp officers who singles out Zamperini for some special treatment. He is chillingly evil.
O'Connell and Hedlund are effective in their portrayals as well. Without star baggage which he will now have O'Connell makes you think you really are looking into the most triumphant and despairing moments of the life of Louis Zamperini. Angelina Jolie triumphs as a director as well. I have a feeling that she wanted to make an inspirational movie for the family she and Brad Pitt have to see.
The vistas of Australia and the blue Pacific Ocean surrounding it was a great location and responsible for the Oscar nomination Unbroken got for cinematography. Unbroken also was given recognition by the Academy with two other nominations in the Sound department.
Add a Coen brothers inspirational script and story and you have the makings of a fine film tribute for a real hero.