The true story of Louis Zamperini is one of the most incredible and inspirational stories of modern history. It deserves so much better than it has received in Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken.
Zamperini was an Olympic runner who became a WWII war hero, got shot down over the ocean and survived in a raft for 47 days, was taken hostage by the Japanese once making way to land and tortured as a prisoner until the end of the war, came home to find himself a bitter drunk but turned a corner when befriending Billy Graham and joining him in crusades as an inspirational speaker, and eventually decided to show forgiveness by traveling to Japan to find the men that tortured him and forgive them in person.
Quite a life.
Yet, Unbroken seems content to merely show a series of events in Zamperini’s life with no real overarching theme or character development. Never discussed is the faith that made Zamperini so “unbreakable.” Not even the climactic moments when he forgives the Japanese, which seemed to be what tied all of his experiences together and was the evidences of his being “unbroken” in the book, are shown.
The film feels more like a string of unfortunate events that happened to one man rather than an actual story with plot and character. The character of Louis is never really fleshed out; never once do we truly get inside his head.
Though Unbroken has good intentions, this large-scale World War II film feels formulaic and clichéd rather than one of the most incredible true-life stories that could be told. It shrinks the life of Zamperini, instead making sure to hit all the right notes to be considered for prestigious awards. What many readers of the book will agree are the best parts of Zamperini’s story are simply left out, as Unbroken attempts to pull at the heartstrings with a number of “motivational catchphrases” rather than actual characters wrestling with real struggles.
Unbroken is rated PG-13 for war violence and brutality, and brief language.
© Matt Tory, 2014.
Hector and the Search for Happiness has a lot of heart, but whatever heartfelt parts the film has are bogged down by predictable scenes and unearned schmaltz.
Of course, I’m not the storyteller of Interstellar. But how much more emotional and powerful would it have been — and just as easy — to structure the story in such a way that Cooper’s journey had only lasted 20-30 earth-years instead of 100, allowing him to reconnect with his daughter once she had reached the same age as him?
At times, viewers will feel disgusted. And I think that’s the point. Whether it be a grown man using his son’s computer for “intimate” websites, or a mother taking risqué photos of her high school-age daughter for financial gain. Though, the film fails in that it goes too far over the edge of “showing” rather than “discussing.” It could have easily exposed us to the problems of using media for sexual gratification without teetering on the edge of being what it’s warning us about.
This is a story about humanity. It’s a feel-good Hollywood tearjerker, but The Good Lie honestly earns those tears, as well as its laughs.
The story is obviously simple, but the cast is fully committed to selling the snowballing troubles this family find themselves in — giving us a movie that viewers of all ages can enjoy.
Just the sheer fact that it was made is amazing. The fact that it’s also a beautifully-told little story puts it over the top. And it’s only grown on me since seeing it. Boyhood is totally worth experiencing — not only because it masterfully captures the simplicity of life itself, but also because it will spur even the most cynical of moviegoers to look back on their own lives — where did all the time go?
Matt Tory 