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Unbroken poster

CAST
JACK RUSSELL
VINCENZO AMATO
JAI COURTNEY
JOHN D’LEO
DOMHNALL GLEESON
GARRETT HEDLUND
MADDALENA ISCHIALE
TAKASAMA ISHIHARA (MIYAVI)
JOHN MAGARO
ALEX RUSSELL
LUKE TREADAWAY
C.J. VALLEROY
FINN WITTROCK

BASED ON THE BOOK BY
LAURA HILLENBRAND

SCREENPLAY BY
JOEL COEN
ETHAN COEN
RICHARD LAGRAVENESE
WILLIAM NICHOLSON

PRODUCED BY
MATTHEW BAER
ANGELINA JOLIE
ERWI N STOFF
CLAYTON TOWNSEND

DIRECTED BY
ANGELINA JOLIE

GENRE
BIOGRAPHY
DRAMA
WAR

RATED
AUS:M
UK:15
USA:PG-13

RUNNING TIME
137 MIN

 

UNBROKEN (2014)

A well-crafted and performed biopic about an exceptional man, Unbroken is never the less let down by director Angelina Jolie’s bumbling handle on tone and story, with a third act needed to complete what can only be described as an unfulfilling cinematic journey.     

In many ways Louis Zamperini’s life was a miracle. The wayward son of Italian immigrants, he would go on to find his calling as a long distance runner and represent America at both the 1936 Olympic Games, and as a bombardier in WWII where he became a prisoner of war and survived a harrowing ordeal at the hands of the Japanese army. Refusing to have his spirit broken, Zamperini lived out the rest of his days as a dedicated Christian and inspirational speaker until his death a mere 7 months ago.

It’s the kind of stuff that would (justifiably) have many a filmmaker chomping at the bit to adapt into a movie. In the end, though, it fell into the hands of Oscar winning actress, activist, uber celebrity and director (In the Land of Blood and Honey) Angelina Jolie. The result is perhaps the most lavish and expensive example of the “good ol’ college try” seen on screens in some time. That Unbroken barely made a mark this awards season says a lot about what went wrong. However, that it’s a film which must be seen on the big screen, says a lot about what went right as well.

Just as an inexperienced coach of a big-market team is surrounded by veteran talent to make their job easier, Jolie is flanked by a stellar crew that have helped make Unbroken one of the better technically crafted films of the year, with special mention to the eternal Roger Deakins’ crisp, vivid photography and the excellent work by a better-be-nominated sound department.

Exceptional too are the performances, especially by Jack O’Connell who caps off an extraordinary breakthrough year (which includes brilliant lead turns in Starred Up and ’71) with an all-encompassing turn as Zamperini, giving body and a palpable, unshakeable strength to a man whose physical and mental torture only invigorated his resolve. Jolie the actress has proven to be a force of nature herself, so there is no doubt that O’Connell and the rest of the cast benefited from having such a thespian behind the camera.

What Jolie gets very wrong is the tone and structure in which she presents Zamperini’s story. Despite having a pair of great editors in William Goldenberg (Argo) and Tim Squyres (Life of Pi) at her disposal, Jolie’s use of time shifts from present to past and back again just does not flow, with a much more conventional structure needed to make the films narrative work.

And while Jolie does not flinch in depicting the inhumane, despicable brutality which Zamperini endured, there is too much fixation on the savagery which befell this man, and not enough time dedicated to Zamperini’s post-war journey into a strong Christian belief, that saw him eventually forgive the captors that tormented him.

There is a third act missing from Unbroken that was needed to bring things full circle. With Jolie’s strong bond with Zamperini during his last days, one would think that she would know it wasn’t the dark moments during the war that encapsulated Zamperini’s life, but the power of grace that drew him from the shadows and into the light.  

It’s that kind of thing that great filmmakers pick up on and form into great movies. One day Jolie will get that instinct. Yet for now, consider Jolie’s second directing stint with Unbroken as more of a learning curve than a grand statement.

***

 

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