Review of Unbreakable

Introduction

I don’t know about you but I can still remember the shiver that went down my spine when I first saw the ending to “The Sixth Sense”. Subsequent viewings still prove to be powerful experiences thanks to a terrific idea from the Director, M. Night Shyamalan and great acting from Bruce Wills.

“Unbreakable” sees the same team responsible for “The Sixth Sense” back in action in an attempt to repeat the incredible success of it’s predecessor.

This time around Bruce Willis plays the part of David Dunn, an unhappy middle aged man going through serious marital difficulties who is the miraculous sole survivor of a horrific train. Not only is he the sole survivor but he his also completely unharmed. Enter Samuel L Jackson as Elijah Price, a man who has a genetic disorder that makes his bones extremely brittle, he believes that if there can be some like himself who can break very easily then surely there must be someone at the opposite end of the scale . . . someone who is “Unbreakable”. He believes that modern day comic book super heroes walk the earth oblivious to their true nature so confronts David with this most ludicrous of notions thus beginning a story of self discovery.

A mere 6 months after it’s cinema release it’s here as a 2 disc DVD release, praise the lord for the gift of DVD :).

Video

Would you be amazed to hear that the picture quality is excellent throughout ? Thought not, from such a recent movie I wouldn’t have expected anything less really. Many key scenes use colour extremely well to enhance certain feelings and emotions and along with some excellent camera work this movie certainly looks the part.

Audio

The disc comes with both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS flavours on the same disc. Given the choice I’m a big DTS fan so I was naturally pleased at this inclusion. The sound is great throughout the movie and complements the picture quality perfectly. The ambient sounds are well done and positioning is excellent. It’s also extremely heavy on the bass, you have been warned :).

Without doubt the stand out feature of the audio on this disc is the soundtrack, composed by James Newton Howard. His music for “The Sixth Sense” was amongst the eeriest you will EVER hear and I’m delighted to say that he’s surpassed himself with “Unbreakable”. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack CD non stop for days now, it’s one of those pieces of music that gets in your head and refuses to leave. Fantastic.

Features

Whatever you do DON’T WATCH THE EXTRA FEATURES FIRST!! As with “The Sixth Sense” the extras here totally spoil any surprise the movie might have had in store.

The extras are held on the disc 2 and consist of 2 documentaries, a multi-angled sequence and several deleted scenes. The documentaries are interesting without being essential viewing whilst the deleted scenes, introduced by M. Night Shyamalan, are considerably more worthwhile and add some interesting slants to the characters. The multi angled sequence which allows you to compare the finished scene with the original storyboard did nothing to captivate me at all. One note however is that the extras are anamorphic as well which makes a nice change from the norm.

So we have a few extras but did they really warrant a 2nd disc? This is without doubt the biggest disappointment of any 2 disc package that has been released to date. I get the feeling that it’s more of a case of simply not being able to fit it all on one disc rather than warranting a 2nd disc through content alone. Still I can’t really complain about this as the disc isn’t being sold for any sort of premium price so it’s a bit of a redundant issue.

There is one extremely disappointing omission from this disc. As with “The Sixth Sense” DVD there is a complete lack of a Director’s commentary. Films that fire the imagination such as these really benefit from commentary tracks, Special Edition cash cow anyone??

Conclusion

WOW!! This movie totally blew me away! I may sound like I’m going overboard here but this is one superb movie experience. As with “The Sixth Sense” it’s the twist ending that makes the movie. It’s amazing that you don’t see the ending coming yet when it’s revealed it makes perfect sense. The film is slow paced but totally gripping and when I got to the ending I was simply gobsmacked and sat in my chair thinking “oh my f***ing god!”.

It’s a memorable and powerful experience which was made all the more memorable personally as there were several scenes I could relate to in a very real sense, testament to the understanding of the human condition on the part of the writer.

Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson prove once again that they are the best. Anyone who says either one can’t act should be strung up as far as I’m concerned, their acting here is first class. Willis plays the part of David Dunn with a resigned quality that says unhappiness in every movement whilst Jackson has all the best lines, as always :).

The prominent involvement of comic books in the story should not be allowed to put anyone off seeing this movie as I fear it might have when it was on general cinema release. It’s box office takings were less than half that of “The Sixth Sense” and it received some very poor reviews from certain film critics which is a real shame and totally unrepresentative of the movie. I’ve never had much time for critics as they are usually looking for something to criticise as writing amusing putdowns is usually far easier than awarding praise.

As for which is the better film? Talk about one of the toughest choices ever! It really is too close to call and whilst I believe that the twist ending in “Unbreakable” is far more of a surprise than that of “The Sixth Sense” the latter pulls on your heart strings more. I’d possibly go with “Unbreakable” at this precise moment but another viewing of “The Sixth Sense” might well be in order just so I can decide more fairly :).

Movies don’t come any better than this in my opinion. It slowly draws you in then smacks you in the face, leaving you thinking about it for days afterwards. I cannot recommend this highly enough.