Worthy-Watch - UNBROKEN [2014, US - English]
- "If you can take it, you can make it" was the advice from his older brother which Olympian and war hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini carried with him in this epic drama, thriving against all odds from the 1936 Olympics as a middle-distance runner, to World War II as a bombardier, through 47 days stranded at sea in a raft, then finally two years tortured by the Japanese Navy in a prisoner-of-war camp
- Perhaps it would be a better choice to adapt the highly acclaimed 2010 book by Laura Hillenbrand "Unbroken, A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption" into a mini-series. Ambitious yes, to capture such breadth of events that carry the message of human survival and endeavor into a slightly above 2-hour film seems like a bad idea to me; but I have to say director Angelina Jolie gave a creditable attempt. So much to express about this uplifting tale that she had to direct it in broad brushstrokes, intertwining between chunks and flashbacks built around the major experiences in Louie's life - spanning wide from his mildly wayward boyhood right to the end of the war. As a result, the film had to focus so much on its events that it forgets to give us much in the way of characters. We keep seeing Louie as the super human whose mind, body and spirits remain unbreakable in a series of perdition & purgatory, but we do not get to go beyond that in understanding what really drives him & keeps him going. Though English actor Jack O'Connell gives a commendable performance as Louie, his role is left painted as this glossy persevering hero, but without much dimension as a person; and we never really feel privy to his inner life. Nevertheless, the teen-series Skins (2009-2010) & Starred Up (2013) star's intense, committed, physical performance remain praiseworthy
- What's noteworthy as well was Jolie's commitment towards her actors that she didn’t eat much on set to support their gruelling diets where they had to shed a lot of weights to give the appearance of starvation and the harsh conditions of captivity at the Japanese war camps
RATING : B-
#unbroken #angelinaJolie #jackOconnell #louisZamperini #warMovies #warFilms #drama
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