'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enou...
'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enough to wish to continue to read my ramblings, you can find me on Dooyoo under the user name plipplop. See you around! :P
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Travelling home from a job interview in New York, David Dunn miraculously survives a horrendous railway accident. The train in which he is travelling completely derails, killing every single passenger on board apart from him. What is even more remarkable is the fact that he is completely unscathed. His miraculous escape does not go unnoticed and shortly after leaving work one day, he finds a note on his windshield asking him how many days sick he has claimed off work in the last year. Having never really considered it before, he suddenly realises that he has never taken a day’s sick leave. Tracing the note back to its sender, Dunn meets the mysterious Elijah Price, who claims to have been looking for somebody like David all his life.
Elijah Price suffers from a rare bone disorder that makes him highly susceptible to breaks and fractures. He advises David that throughout his life he has considered the possibility that if he exists, in all his current fragility, that there must be somebody who is the complete opposite to him – and is unbreakable. He claims that this person is David Dunn. David is understandably sceptical about the whole conversation, but further contact with Elijah makes him question the events of his past, and soon he begins to think that there is more to Elijah’s theory than he first thought. Elijah claims that David Dunn was destined to protect people, but in his quest to discover the truth, David ultimately discovers that there is far more to Elijah Wood than meets the eye.
Unbreakable was M Night
Shyamalan’s directorial follow-up to the hugely successful movie, The Sixth Sense. Many people expected him to come up with another supernatural, eerie thriller, and whilst there are some similarities between Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense, I think that most people were slightly disappointed with this film. Unbreakable’s appeal is certainly less universal than that of The Sixth Sense, and I couldn’t help feeling that the film could have been developed just that little bit further.
In essence, both The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable have a similar plot construct. Firstly, the presence of Bruce Willis as the lead character is notable in each, largely because his character undergoes a similar process of self-discovery. Also, each of the leads has a young male child supporting character, who seems very knowing about an otherwise inexplicable scenario and aside from the fact that they are played by different actors, the two children could be virtually the same character. There is also a very similar turning point in each film, where the lead character suddenly accepts (or realises) the fundamental truth and this sets off a chain of events that ultimately results in an act of bravery. With two films that are so similar, it therefore seems almost bizarre to say that they are also incredibly different.
With Unbreakable, there seemed to be all sorts of ideas coming from the director’s mind (who also wrote the film) but none of them were portrayed with enough conviction to really hit the point home. Unbreakable appears to be a story of good versus evil, with the classic plot twist of suggesting that the person(s) that we believe to be evil are not always our real foes. But if this is the case, the hero of the piece (David Dunn) is very flimsy and lacks any real presence. He isn’t so much a reluctant hero as a puzzled one, and at times I found myself wanting to lean into the screen and give him a good shake. David Dunn’s reversal from rejecting the possibility of what he might be, to exploring and investigating it didn’t work very well either – I only watched the film last night, but I’m struggling to recollect any real turning point in the film.
The film also attempts to investigate the “science” behind comic books, with the suggestion that they are one of mankind’s most ancient forms of communicating events and stories. I was intrigued by the visual examination of the artwork used on the cover of some of the books owned by Elijah Price, but this was only really discussed very briefly, and although I waited for something more meaningful to come out of it, it never really happened. I suspect that the writer has a deep affection for comic books, because this was a very respectful film – it paid homage to the fact that comic books are so much more than a child’s plaything. It is Elijah Price’s addiction to comic books that has shaped his life – but why and how is not something that was ever really explained.
Unbreakable is generally described as a suspense thriller, with some supernatural overtones. I struggle to support this description because I don’t find any of those words particular appropriate when describing this film. There is little suspense, because events do not really build towards an unexpected climax. There is very little to thrill, because this is not an action movie. This is a film based on quiet observation, and for large sections of the film, there is very little to observe other than dialogue. The word supernatural also seems rather misplaced. Supernatural to me suggests ghosts or the like – this is nothing to do with these phenomena and I suspect that this is one of the reasons that some viewers felt rather misled after having seen this film. A more appropriate description would probably be an intriguing drama that has some fantasy content.
One of the things that do enable this film to rise above mediocrity is Samuel L Jackson’s wonderful portrayal of Elijah Price. The character is absolutely fascinating from start to finish and Jackson’s eccentric ways are completely appropriate. Physically, he seems to combine his usual presence with a new found fragility and I loved his enigmatic and stylish black attire. Whenever Jackson was on the screen I found myself compelled to watch his every move. This was such a departure from his usual roles and something that I’d like to see a lot more of him doing. Bruce Willis stimulated absolutely no reaction towards his character at all – he might as well have been known as Mr Indifference. This seemed to be a clear intent on the part of the director to portray David Dunn as Mr Average, but it does make him very difficult to become interested in. Dunn’s inability to show any real strong characteristics makes it very hard for the audience to accept that he is anything special – I suppose this was the point.
Unbreakable really is a very curious movie, and will probably not be anything like you might expect. Despite having read many reviews of the film here on this site, I still wasn’t really prepared for the movie and I suppose the creators should be praised for this. Unbreakable is certainly nothing like most mainstream movies these days and this is something that we should probably be thankful for. Don’t expect endless excitement and action, and don’t expect anything that is likely to make you jump. Expect nothing – and see where Unbreakable takes you.
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InUnbreakable, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan reunites withSixth Sensestar Bruce ... more
Willis, comes up with another story of everyday folk baffled by the supernatural (or at least unknown-to-science) and returns to his home town, presenting Philadelphia...
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Oscar-nominated writer/director of 'The Sixth Sense', M. Night Shyamalan, has created ... more
another unique mind-shattering suspense thriller. Bruce Willis stars as David Dunn, the sole survivor of a devastating train crash. Samuel L. Jackson co-stars as Elij...
InUnbreakable, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan reunites withSixth Sensestar Bruce ... more
Willis, comes up with another story of everyday folk baffled by the supernatural (or at least unknown-to-science) and returns to his home town, presenting Philadelphia...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Are you listening to that voice that is telling you what you should be doing in life? M. ... more
Night Shyamalan director of 'The Sixth Sense' presents Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in the story of one man'‚´s date with destiny. Bruce Willis and S...
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Advantages: Stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson. Good idea for a story line. Disadvantages: To slow for me, also left me with questions and wanting more more more!!!
niclemamy 29.06.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Unbreakable (DVD)
Advantages: Fast-paced plot that comes full-circle. Excellent bonus features. Disadvantages: May turn off those expecting an exact replica of the Sixth Sense.
freeelkind 23.07.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Unbreakable (DVD)
Advantages: Fast-paced plot that comes full-circle. Excellent bonus features. Disadvantages: May turn off those expecting an exact replica of the Sixth Sense.
freeelkind 23.07.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Unbreakable (DVD)
Advantages: most of their music videos are featured, they tell the Westlife story in their own words Disadvantages: doesn't include all of their videos
![Unbreakable (2 Disc Collectors Edition) [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78538352.jpg "Unbreakable (2 Disc Collectors Edition) [DVD] [2000]")
Dec 4th, 2002
(Feb 16th, 2004)
very helpful by (100%):
