Some actors have the natural ability to transition from actor to director…and some don’t. The vision one director has for a specific script can be vastly different than that of another. In my opinion, Angelina Jolie isn’t one of those actresses who has proven that she has the ability to make that transition, and for her latest film, the semi-crowd-pleasing Unbroken, she takes what could have been an incredible cinematic story and made it into something unengaging and, somehow, rather derivative, even with a script re-write from the Coen Brothers.
Unbroken tells the incredible true story of Olympic distance runner and bombardier Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), who, in 1943, experienced a near fatal crash that left him and two of his crewmates stranded in the ocean for 47 days. When exhausted of nearly every resource, Zamperini and Co are captured by the Japanese navy and sent to a POW camp. This POW camp is run by a hot-headed Japanese Sergeant named Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known to the prisoners as The Bird, and made it his mission to make Zamperini’s life a living hell.
As a film, Unbroken is just ok. It feels a little cheesy and melodramatic for the type of story it tells and much of that has to do with the directorial style and choices of Jolie, while a small other part has to do with the dialogue-style of the period. On the other, more positive hand, the movie feels both massive and small in scope, giving us an opportunity to take a step back and see how dire Zamperini’s situation is while also giving us an intimate look at his struggle and the obstacles he must face should he ever want to see his family again.
My main problem with the film, and this is very much a personal thing, is that I wasn’t a fan of the aesthetic choice. The movie looks and feels like a polished Hollywood production of yesteryear, like a war movie of the 50s, where all the actors, even when they were beaten, still looked good. I’m ok with people looking nice, but if someone experiences hell, I think they should really look the part. I’m not saying the film has to be dark and brutal, though it certainly would have made sense in some of the scenes, just get with the times and allow for realism to take over. Unbroken is a PG-13 film that aims to inspire and awe people, but what way to really move a crowd and get them fully invested then by breaking their hearts and making parts of the film a true challenge to watch. That’s part of the reason why a movie like Rescue Dawn was so solid, the film can look good, but to get to the emotional heart of an audience you need to appear authentic as well.
Outside of the aesthetic choice for the story, the film is beautifully shot. From the vast views of the ocean while stranded at sea, to the harsh albeit lush and beautiful jungle landscape of the Marshall Islands during torturous times, Oscar nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins does a fine job of capturing beauty and meshing it with this troublesome story.
In addition to the cinematography, the other real bright spot of the film is Jack O’Connell’s performance. Even if I didn’t feel the dialogue was that strong, O’Connell does everything in his power to keep the film progressing and keep you interested in what you’re watching. While his performance isn’t as strong as that of his in Starred Up (which I highly recommend), it’s a still a notable performance and one that should help catapult him into the limelight.
Overall, Unbroken is a mainstream crowd-pleaser that lacks real emotion and fails to engage its audience. It has its moments, like a sweet aerial battle in the beginning, but the stylistic and directorial choices turn what could have been a powerful story into one that feels way too polished and “Hollywood.” The benefit of seeing this film is that it has encouraged me to seek out the book since, from what I gather, it’s amazing and is a story worth reading about in further details. I can only recommend this film if you’d rather avoid reading the book because, at the very least, this is one remarkable story that deserves to be known and with this flick, you’ll at least get to experience it.
Rating: In incredible, inspiring story that’s not very engaging and too polished to make an impact (5/10)
Recent Comments