Unbreakable (2000)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  8 / 10

  Unbreakable proves you do not need flashy effects to produce a compelling superhero story. Shyamalan has had a rough career, with most (including myself) believing he has progressively got worse as a director. He has somewhat got back on track with newer releases but there is no denying that his earlier work was masterful. Unbreakable follows David Dunn, an average father and security guard, who miraculously survived the derailing of a train. Soon after a confrontation with a mysterious individual makes him question whether or not he might have special abilities. What is genius about this story is how intelligent and mature it is. It's not just "oh, I'm invincible...I'm going to save the world!". No no no, it's much more grounded than that. The majority of the plot is an origin story, David discovering his ability and investigating past accidents that he was in. We as the audience are mystified, much like David, so anything that he unravels is as much a revelation to us as it is to him. I really admired that approach, it made the story utterly compelling. It raises the question that if you did have such abilities, should you utilise them for the greater good? It deconstructs every motive that your typical superhero has and adds more human characteristics. Shyamalan was great at directing this thriller (let's face it, it's his genre of expertise) with plenty of inventive camera shots, particularly a scene involving some curtains blowing in the wind as we look into the room. Samuel L Jackson was fantastic and added some sympathetic depth towards his character. Bruce Willis was good although struggled with the more emotionally involved scenes. The child actor...sorry but no, wasn't good. The famous Shyamalan plot "twist" was something I should've predicted, but dammit I fell for it again! Brilliantly executed. A shame that the ending was too abrupt in my opinion. Also David's poor family life really did not affect him as a character. However, Unbreakable is one of the most compelling grounded superhero films out there. One of Shyamalan's best.

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