Unbroken

I can breathe a sigh of relief; the film  I have been waiting for is a thought-provoking success. Whilst I have previously shied away from reviewing similar films – such as last year’s incredible The Railway Man – due to any moral quandaries about passing comment on this level of human suffering, I believe Unbroken can be an exception.

A particularly snide review has recently condemned Unbroken as ‘part Railway Man, part Bridge over the River Kwai with a bit of the Life of Pi and Chariots of Fire thrown in for good measure’. I believe this critique takes things to the extreme, and although Angelina Jolie’s directorial effort does not say anything particularly new about the PoW genre – worrying though it may be that these films can be restricted to a ‘genre’ – Unbroken does have its noteworthy moments.

Jack O Connell, previously seen in Starred Up and ’71, is excellent as Louie Zamperini, the teenage tearaway turned Olympic athlete turned WW2 bombardier. His physicality on-screen gives a further dimension to this astounding story of human endurance, and he manages to remain unbroken without over-egging any potential martyrdom. A rising British star, O Connell has progressed from his days as Skins’ Cook, and is now able to give a credible performance of physical and emotional fortitude, although Zamperini – before he died earlier this year – allegedly mocked his Italian-American accent.

The cinematographer is the brilliant Roger Deakins (Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall and No Country for Old Men being but a few of the feathers in his cap) who brings us the vistas that this film will be remembered for; incoming waves of combat planes, terrifying typhoon swells, this year’s Jaws moment and the firebombing of Tokyo. Complimenting Deakins is the surging score from Alexandre Desplat, which lends warmth and triumph to a survival story that may otherwise have felt one-dimensional.

However, whilst the cinematography and musical composition are perfectly aligned, they are struggling against some of Angelina Jolie’s directorial choices. Firstly, the decision to conform to the conventions of a biographical epic, with several ‘formative-years’ flashbacks, is a format that is starting to feel tired. The title isn’t Broken, the audience are not in doubt of the result, and Louie’s story is strong enough to permit a simpler – and more powerful – chronological telling. Secondly, and most unfortunately, the last part of Louie’s story – as told in Laura Hillendbrand’s highly recommended book – is missing from the film.

This journey through PTSD, addiction and religion to forgiveness is as important to Zamperini’s story as the days spent adrift on a life-raft.

Jolie clearly isn’t afraid of showing violence and brutality on-screen, and although the scenes in Unbroken could not be called gratuitous, they do become somewhat repetitive and therefore lose their impact. Less screen time spent on war-time clichés, at sea, and in the Marshall Islands would have permitted an exploration of the latter part of Louie’s impressive life-story.

Unbroken is a story of human resilience against the all odds, and Jolie’s film is an absorbing and inspirational portrait of an important figure. However, Hillenbrand’s fuller account in her biography Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption is better, purely by virtue of including the full tale.

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