Unbroken Movie Review

When it comes to films made about World War Two, a question arises; will they be based in the battles of the European front or the more naval and air focused warfare of the Pacific? Following David Ayer’s tank based Fury in October 2014; director Angelina Jolie has turned her attention to the latter setting and one soldier’s desperate struggle for survival.

Unbroken (based on the novel by Laura Hillenbrand) follows Louis “Louie” Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) an Olympic runner who also served as a bombardier in the United States Army Air Forces. On a seemingly normal search and rescue mission, Zamperini’s B24 Liberator crashes into the ocean, leaving the survivors stranded for 47 long days. From here things go from bad to worse as Zamperini is captured by the Japanese and imprisoned in a POW camp run by the ruthless Mutsuhiro “Bird” Watanabe (Miyavi). The film’s plot unfolds across a predominately present tense where we see the main character’s struggle alongside the others prisoners he meets; but it also crosses parts of Zamperini’s past in it’s first act as well as we see how he became an Olympic runner. One of the interesting things Unbroken does is subtly weave key events into its narrative; rather than place text on screen to let the viewer know how time has passed, the prisoners are informed by their captors or the film projects certain images into the background, such as the Nazi flags present at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. This ensures that the audience is engaged with Zamperini’s struggles and also highlights that the prisoners have indeed lost all sense of time over the course of their incarceration at the POW camps; it puts you in their perspective as the film goes on. While the film succeeds in absorption, it could have utilised the main character’s central trait better; after Zamperini’s appearance at the 1936 Olympic Games, his passion for running, the fuel which powers his determination is rarely mentioned again. This could have been woven into the narrative more coherently to give the audience a stronger understanding of what kept him going during his time in the camps.

With a setting as grim as the POW camps of World War Two, the performances give off just the right emotion you’d expect from a movie of this genre. Jack O’Connell gives a great performance as Louie; you really do feel the sheer desperation that grips his character as he is relentlessly beaten and worked in the camp. His performance is complimented by the extras surrounding him, who should all be commended for the looks of oppression and fear they convey throughout the film. Despite it being his first film, Miyavi makes for a really intimidating and sinister villain in “Bird”; he’s always intent on making the lives of his prisoners a living hell which keeps the viewer guessing as to what horrible deed he’ll commit next. On the other hand though, most of the side characters don’t have much depth, particularly Zamperini’s family. (Who with the exception of Louis’s brother are played by Italian actors) If they were given more screen-time to develop and show the bond they possess with Louis, it would have made audience that much more invested in seeing him come home.

The POW camps portrayed in Unbroken are exactly how you would expect them to be; dangerous, decisive and grotty in their nature. The bright sun enveloping the setting contrasts heavily against the prisoner’s hard labour, something which is clearly and vividly framed from a variety of camera angles. The film makes a minimal use of CGI, instead relying on real locations and sets to immerse the audience in the film. A lot of effort clearly went into make-up and injury effects, especially on the prisoners themselves; they become more and more ragged and tarnished throughout the film and by the end, they look like shells of their former selves, malnourished and weakened by the ordeals. The music composed by Alexandre Desplat is very strong, fitting the poignant and tragic nature of the prisoners and the situation they have no escape from. Like many other films of its kind. Unbroken does a fine job of conveying the harsh realities of war from beginning to end.

Unbroken is a rough, gritty yet engaging tale of one man’s utter resilience and determination to endure and survive. Not all of its moving parts come together fully but overall it’s another tale worthy of admission to the long standing war genre.

Rating: 4/5 Stars