UNBROKEN – The Review

Review by Dana Jung

The story of Louis Zamperini is perhaps unknown to modern audiences, but has been well documented through the decades. Sports hero, war hero, and all-American good guy, Mr. Zamperini has been in and out of the public eye since the 1930s. Tony Curtis was supposedly interested in a film version of Mr. Zamperini’s story as far back as the 1950s. It’s certainly surprising that no one has attempted to bring the story to life on the big screen, because Mr. Zamperini’s saga is an amazing testament to the human capacities for endurance and survival.

Director Angelina Jolie and screenwriters Joel and Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, and William Nicholson have stayed true to the best-selling book written by Laura Hillenbrand. The film is generally divided into three segments, with some brief but informative flashbacks that add insight to the character. The movie opens aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber as bombardier Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) guides the plane on its mission. These and later flying sequences deftly portray the claustrophobic and frightening aspects of trying to do a job in cramped conditions while being shot at and shelled from all angles.

The plane crash is also simply yet effectively shown, in real time, with the impact and sinking happening in a matter of seconds. The desperate struggle for survival truly begins here, as Zamperini and his fellow crewmen battle the elements, the wartime enemy, and even each other to get through each day. Again, Jolie keeps the viewpoint tight on the lifeboats to enhance the constant exposure to the sun, the water, and what the water contains. One can almost feel the oppressive heat, the ever-present fear of the sharks, and the mental anguish just staying alive must bring. O’Connell, in an understated yet moving performance as Zamperini, really shines in these scenes as he quietly maintains everyone’s sanity with tales of home-cooked meals and his mother’s deft touch in the kitchen.

But the bulk of the story takes place in various Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, as Zamperini lives through not only incredibly harsh living conditions, but the brutality of his captors as well. One Japanese soldier, Ishihara, takes it upon himself to personally make life a living hell for Zamperini, the one-time Olympic athlete. As Ishihara (nicknamed “The Bird” by the other prisoners), Mutsushiro Watanabe is a dispassionate, dark-eyed menace. With his intense stare and emotionless expression, Watanabe conjures the deep impression of a true serial sadist. It is a credit to both actors that, even though they have little direct eye contact and fairly brief scenes together, their onscreen chemistry is electric, and is the high point of the film.

At the end of the movie, a nice epilogue summarizes some other notable events in the life of Louis Zamperini. He wrote two books himself, which go into more detail about his experiences during the war and after. He even returned to Japan– under happier circumstances. Director Jolie had the difficult task of telling Zamperini’s story in a little over two hours, difficult because it’s almost too much story to cram into any film. The days lost at sea, and especially the POW sequences border on becoming repetitive, until one realizes that this only represents a short sampling of time when viewed against the grueling torture this man actually lived through. Jolie includes small moments in UNBROKEN that foreshadow just how special a person Zamperini was. A recreation of the 1936 Berlin Olympics is exciting, but shows just how big the world had become to the young athlete from California. Scenes while stranded at sea have a philosophical tone, and Zamperini notes in another scene that even “The Bird” had a father who perhaps loved him.

Just how much can one person endure?   How many times can one face death and still be whole? For Louis Zamperini, the answer is– it takes a very remarkable human being with just the right mixture of compassion, spiritual fortitude, and physical determination—things all of us can aspire to.

3 1/2 of 5 Stars