Movie Review by EDF
Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson, Robin Wright Penn
Director: M Night Shyamalan
One of most highly anticipated movies of the year, UNBREAKABLE is M. Night Shyamalan’s follow-up to his highly successful THE SIXTH SENSE. Just as with that movie, Shyamalan serves as producer, writer and director. Is it any good?
Starting off with a weary David Dunn (Bruce Willis) travelling from New York on a train heading back towards Philadelphia, Dunn’s train crashes. Out of about 131 people that were on both trains when they crashed, Dunn was the only survivor. Not only was this a miracle, he escaped without even a scratch. There to escort him from the hospital is his son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) and his estranged wife Audrey (Robin Wright Penn).
Analysing the news very closely is comic book art nut Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson). As Elijah’s bones are prone to breaking easily due to a condition he has had since childbirth, Elijah believes that there should be someone out there who is opposite to him, whose bones can withstand abuse. Elijah tries to convince David that there is potential within himself that he doesn’t realise he has. David reveals to Elijah that when he wakes up every morning, a sadness comes over him. He feels that there should be more to his life than his job as a football stadium security guard and is uncomfortable with his role as both husband and father.
When Elijah goes to the football stadium to speak further with David, he sees David in action first hand. David senses that one of the fans about to enter the stadium has a gun on him, he frightens off the suspect by organising body searches. Later Elijah follows the suspect and while satisfying his curiosity by spotting the gun on the suspect, Elijah is himself injured in a fall that shatters a countless number of bones in his body. Not only does he question David about how he knew about the gun, Elijah also reveals that when he was younger, he was nicknamed Mr. Glass due to his fragile bones. In the meantime, taking all this information in is David’s son Joseph who tests his father out in one of the most suspenseful moments in the movie.
Does David believe Elijah and what does Elijah want from all of this? Will David get back together with his wife? Will Bruce Willis actually survive a Shyamalan movie and is there a twist to the whole thing?
First of all, I’m not going to answer any of those questions. Secondly, anyone expecting another THE SIXTH SENSE will be disappointed. While the main subject matter is original, as with THE SIXTH SENSE these characters are real, their emotions are real and the decisions they make are the kind that you and I would make. Nothing is over-sensationalised. While the pace might be a bit slow at times, the person that shines on screen is Samuel L. Jackson. Not to say that the others did not put in a great effort – the coldness of the relationship of the Dunn family is quite effective. One thing is guaranteed; this movie just might well make you think about your own efforts in life…
