Director: Angelina Jolie
Cast: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Takamasa Ishihara, Finn Wittrock
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 137 minutes
Based on The New York Times’ bestseller by Laura Hillenbrand, UNBROKEN tells the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, an American Olympian forced to fight for survival following a near-fatal plane crash during World War II.
Since Universal originally acquired the rights in 1957 (re-purchasing them in 2011), Zamperini’s story has long been mooted for a big screen adaptation and you can see why. This unbelievable tale of endurance – including an extended stint stranded in shark-infested waters and torture in multiple prisoner of war camps – is difficult to fathom and the film only really scratches the surface of the man’s exceptional life story.
With Angelina Jolie returning to the director’s chair and featuring EE BAFTA Rising Star Award winner Jack O’Connell in the lead role, this biographical drama merely touches on Zamperini’s journey from troublemaker to Olympic hopeful, choosing to concentrate on his wartime struggle, particularly his time in POW camps. Whilst UNBROKEN could be criticised for practically ignoring his post-war activity, considering the nature of his personal battle for survival during that period, it shouldn’t be surprising that the film chose this focus.
Despite a very slow start, Zamperini’s story is a fascinating one and the film’s great young cast boasts some standout performances, not least Jack O’Connell (Zamperini) and newcomer Takamasa “Miyavi” Ishihara as sadistic dictator Mutsuhiro Watanabe, however the film does suffer from a few flaws.
Considering the subject matter, the film is surprisingly underwhelming to watch, largely down to its slow pace and unbalanced structure alongside its running time of over two hours. With Jolie’s adoration for Zamperini fully apparent, the film occasionally falls into cliché and whilst the visuals are at times quite impressive, they often feel clinical, detaching you from the action or emotion within the scene.
A phenomenal story and some great performances make UNBROKEN an interesting film, particularly for fans of the genre, but it unfortunately fails to make the most of Zamperini’s story or leave a long-lasting impression.
[usr=3] UNBROKEN is out on DVD and Blu-ray on April 27th.
