Louis Zamperini was living a despicable life as a spoilt young brat in the 1920s and could literally run away after committing his misdeeds. His brother Pete saw that innate strong will that Louis had and encouraged him to train in athletics which came naturally to him and he eventually went on to represent his country in the Olympics. With the onset of the World War II, he served in the US Air Force as a bombardier on missions to Japan and is involved in a crash on a rescue mission. Two of his compatriots survive the crash along with him to be stranded in the ocean for over 45 days. Their miseries were far from over and their struggles until the end of the war form the rest of this true story.
Language:
English
Running Time:
137 min
Rating:
PG-13
Release date:
25 December 2015
Directed by:
Angelina Jolie
Produced by:
Angelina Jolie
Matthew Baer
Erwin Stoff
Clayton Townsend
Written by:
Joel David Coen
Ethan Jesse Coen
Richard LaGravenese
William Nicholson
Based on:
Unbroken
by Laura Hillenbrand
Starring:
Jack O’Connell
Domhnall Gleeson
Garrett Hedlund
Takamasa Ishihara
Miyavi
Finn Wittrock
Jai Courtney
Music by:
Alexandre Desplat
Shot by:
Roger Deakins
Editing by:
Tim Squyres
Distributed by:
Universal Pictures

What’s Hot

  • The levels of dedication from the lead actors are simply unparalleled! Jack O’Connell as “Louie” and Domhnall Gleeson as “Phil”, a fellow officer who stayed with Louis through all his troubles – the physical transformations they have undergone to suit the characters stranded without food for nearly two months and later tortured in the war camps of the enemies, is just unbelievable and warrants adulation!
  • Angelina Jolie’s second venture as a director has stark similarities with her first since both are set in a war backdrop and this one too has powerful depictions of the ghastly effects of war, and the sufferings of the people involved in it. Screenplay from Coen brothers has also shown a nice touch when placing the flashes of good memories from Louie’s glorious past right at the moments when he is facing probable death – a classic motivation for hope in the most hopeless situations!
  • Set in the period covering the Second World War, the numerous air force missions that Louie was involved have been brought out in all the grandeur by the skilled camera work by Roger Deakins which reflects his fascination for the flying birds. The mid-air shootouts, the crash landing and the ultimate crash – all of them have been made so real with the noticeable help from the art direction department as well to suit the period war milieu.
  • Alexandre Desplat has broken his stereotype image with such an emotional and sentimental score for this movie. Though having received critical response for lack of energy, we feel the work has been just apt to suit the hard code resolve that Louis symbolizes and that’s what makes it all the more special!

What’s Not

  • All said and done, it is a World War II movie solely from an individual’s viewpoint and is bound to reignite controversies between supporters of the two nations having shown them in poor light. Rightly so, the movie attracted criticism for being insensitive to the other side of the story and did not try to make any amends for this at the end of the movie as well – another proof that war movies need more research than just a biography.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

‘Unbroken’ is an embodiment of true grit that soldiers of any war would present in the face of hopeless situations. An equally resolute performance from the lead cast and mind bending technical prowess make this a masterful work of art and a motivational showpiece - one definitely to be savoured!