Unbroken

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 Being the Best

9.5

As a special note-My family went to see this on Christmas Day and it was sold out in two theatres for three showings. This movie is going to be a blockbuster hit. 

Plot: This movie is based off of a true story of Louie Zamperini. He ran in the Olympics and was going to compete in the next one in Japan, only that the world was thrown into World War II. While on a search party over the ocean, the plane went down. Louie and his friend Phil survived 56 days at sea and were saved...by the Japanese forces. The story reveals how Louie and other Ally members were treated in the Japanese POW camps, along with his story about how he went from a troubled kid, to Olympic champion. 

*Upon research I found that the movie did not derive from the book. It was been questioned if Louis Zamperini exaggerated his own facts in the book though.*

Characters/Actors of Note:

Jack O'Connel playing Louis Zamperini: I was surprised on the different aspects I got from Mr. O'Connel. He didn't come off as just one singular trait. He seemed to be pretty well-rounded. I finally got to watch someone that actually acted in a way that made sense. Most actors are either under or overwhelming in these high drama movies. I felt that Mr. O'Connel was just right. The fear, the excitement, and the sadness were great. For some reason though, I never cried during this movie. Perhaps it was for the reason that I kept thinking that this guy could have it much worse. I am not saying that this guy wasn't under extreme harshness, a lot of people died in his type of situation; I am saying that this could have been worse. I thought that this character was well-rounded and I appreciated the portrayal greatly. 

Takamasa "Miyavi" Ishihara playing Mutsushiro "The Bird" Watanabe: Again, I was surprised by this character. The reason being that most villains are portrayed as big, ugly, and overly cruel. The Bird though was about the size as the other men, even shorter. He also wasn't bad looking and he didn't go overboard with his evil attitude. I could really picture some like The Bird being in my reality. Mr. Ishihara's portrayal reminded me of someone that is more abusive than a cruel overlord and that is what made him believable. The way that this character's life intertwined with Louie's was strange and ironic. His unpredictable behavior made sense as well. I almost wanted more information on this character in the film.
Domhnall Gleeson playing Russell Allen "Phil" Phillips: I had originally not done a review on this character but I find that I keep talking about Phil. Mr. Gleeson's character is more religious than Louis. He prays more often and believes in an afterlife where he will be re-payed. Phil is a person that is closely attached to Louis, as they only have each other when they are rescued. I felt a lot of love for this character as he was such a sweet heart. He was a quiet, respectful, and faithful. He also gave some more optimism to the situation. Mr. Gleeson's care for this portrayal was lovely.

Music: I thought this music was well put together. It was strong and supporting of the film. I also loved that none of the dialogue was drowned out by the music. (Sorry for the foul language in the link.) Quite good.

Camera Work/Cinematography: This movie looked like it was in SUPER HIGH-DEFINITION. It so was impeccably sharp that it was almost distracting. There was also a lot of colors. There was yellow, black, gray, blue, green, and white. I do have to say that the make-up was just stunning in this film though. The burns, cuts, and coal that were applied were just on-spot. Overall, great make-up and the high-definition was okay but over-the-top.

RECAP:

This movie is wonderfully scripted, shot, and acted. I wish the music was more catchy and the super high-def was distracting. It's great to watch with your family and I don't doubt that this movie will be up for the Oscar. 

Courtesy of Bing

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