Unbreakable Success

First let me start out by saying that Unbreakable is a very strange film. I would not say that I am disappointed, only that the story was not quite what I expected. It could definitely be defined as a modern super hero film. I have said before that the films of the 90s are very realistic in nature. Everything, even down to the fantastic, must be explained within logical terms. It is quite the achievement for a contemporary film to make a film that is just the perfect combination of fanciful ideas and practical explanations.

M. Night Shyamalan teams up with the star of his most successful film to date, Bruce Willis. It is like the old theater troops of the past, where you would see many different productions all featuring the same set of actors and actresses. Only this time we see a duo. This pair certainly seems to have fantastic synergy when it comes to films. It seems to me that part of what makes them successful together is what they each bring into the equation. First we have Shyamalan bringing credibility to his career with his magnificent accomplishments. Next we have Willis redeeming himself in his career just by associating himself with such a successful director. Some directors, such as Steven Spielberg, have this ability to direct the cast and crew as they would mold and shape clay. They can see their vision and instruct in such a way that it comes out jus the way they envisioned it. I would say that despite the strange subject matter of this new film, Shyamalan and Willis bring synergy to the film that gives it a certain cohesiveness to the entire project.

This leads us to the subject matter in question. The film starts out with an odd quote about comic book collections. Then we're lead to a seemingly unrelated scene in which we see the tragic circumstances of a baby born with both arms and both legs broken. We're then lead a bit farther towards the present as we follow the life of this young man living in a life filled with sickness. Then the present time. Let me stop here a moment to say that the birth of the baby was in 1961. I find this interesting only in that the adult man is played by none other than Samuel L. Jackson, who is not that young. It works for his character though, only in that the part requires the look of a man who's been through so much in so little time. Any person going through such tragic circumstances would be a bit haggard.