Review 250: Unbreakable

Unbreakable is an engrossing, thematically and emotionally rich superhero, psychological thriller film, a fascinating character study and another fine addition to M. Night Shyamalan’s budding filmography.

Security Guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is taking a train from New York City back home to Philadelphia after a job interview that didn't go well when his train  jumps the tracks and collides with an oncoming engine with David, miraculously, being the only survivor among the 131 passengers on board. Astoundingly, not only is David alive, but he hardly seems to have a scratch on him. As David wonders what has happened to him and why he was able to walk away, he encounters a mysterious stranger, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) who explains to David that there are a certain number of people who are "unbreakable" - they have remarkable endurance and courage, a predisposition towards dangerous behaviour and feel invincible but also have strange premonitions of terrible events. Is David "unbreakable"? And if he is, what are the physical and psychological ramifications of this knowledge?

The plot is gripping, suspenseful, surprisingly smart and subtlely and quietly thoughtful

It explores some pretty interestingly profound ideas about superhero archetypes.
It serves as a study of trends and themes of comic book storytelling. What makes a hero? What makes a villain? What compels them and the roles they play in the narrative. Shyamalan has the smarts and the gal to explore those themes through his two leads as opposed to effects heavy action we're so numb to. Contrary to most films in its genre, (to quote Roger Ebert) Unbreakable is much more introspective and puzzling, most of the action takes place through dialogue.
It's fascinating to see all of this play out in a world where superheroes don't seem to exist.

In a lot of ways, Unbreakable is a deconstruction of the idea of a superhero and of someone being an expert on the subject.

Quentin Tarantino has openly stated that the film should have been advertised by posing the question of "What if Superman was here on Earth and didn't know he was Superman?" That is an 

M. Night Shyamalan's direction is creepy and suspenseful, his use of one takes helps to give us as an audience a feel for the world these characters inhabit. The cinematography is stylish and pays tribute to classic comic book panels. The use of colour grading for the two leads (purple for Elijah and 
The the make up is rich, the score by James Newton Howard is majestic, the production design is terrific, the costumes are impressive and the effect of the closing sequence is refreshing. My only problem is that it drags in spots.
   Then we get to the twist ending and this is an element that critics and audiences will either love or hate. 
On a story and thematic level, it makes complete, logical sense but at the same time it feels to obvious in hindsight for its own good.

The acting is superb, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson are terrific in this film. They play their parts of David Dunn and Elijah Price with the such subtly 
Both David and Elijah serve as duel protagonists. They both want something and we as an audience follow them as they go on their respective journeys which intersect and become intrical to each other’s story. Both are desperately searching for their place in life and each come to startlingly different conclusions.  

Both David and Elijah are presented as opposites of one another: David can’t be hurt and Elijah, unfortunately, can’t stop getting hurt. Both of which come from their respective conditions.   

Elijah is nicknamed "Mr. Glass" due to him having a Type I Osteogenesis imperfecta aka brittle bone disease (a group of genetic disorders that mainly affects bones) and he thinks that David has got all which he himself lacks.
Outwardly, Elijah Price is a crazy person and in real life we would consider him a crazy person and rightfully so  He's so stubborn about his belief because of all the things that he's suffered that we


Robin Wright is luminous and lovely as Audrey, David's wife. On of the films greatest strengths is in how it presents the character of Audrey as a real woman in a marriage that seems to have run out of love. When David miraculously survives the train crash (one that kills everyone else onboard), she bravely decides to try one last time to save their marriage.

Spencer Treat Clark is compelling as Joseph. His wide-eyed  at how his dad m

Unbreakable is not as impressive as M. Night Shyamalan's pervious film The Sixth Sense but it's still a very creative follow up, 4.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.