Whether you’re a fan of war movies or a novice to the genre, by the time the opening scene in “Unbroken” plays out, you’ll be hooked until the closing credits and character updates role at the end. Nominated for 3 Academy Awards and directed by Hollywood Goddess Angelina Jolie, “Unbroken” follows the real life story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete and Air force veteran who was held as a prisoner of war by the Empire of Japan during World War II.
Through flashbacks, we see bits of Zamperini’s life story, his childhood born to oppressed Italian immigrants. Young Louis is the shame of his family who finds redemption by running track, a path that leads to the 1936 Olympics. Zamperini’s athletic career is eventually cut short by war.
Angelina Jolie is known for her on screen roles and penchant for the adopting of African children. With “Unbroken,” she demonstrates a great talent for behind the scenes work, doing a masterful job of weaving together the fragments of Zamperini’s early life to his ordeal in a Japanese POW camp.
In between, the movie is centered on Zemperini’s 47 day struggle to survive as he and two comrades drift aimlessly in the middle of the daunting Pacific Ocean on a raft no bigger than a sofa. Jolie aces the raft scenes in particular, capturing the sheer survival mode of the men as they attempt to catch fish and birds for food and rely on one another for mental and emotional support. And absolutely nothing is more terrifying than sharks circling in the depths below the raft, and Jolie delivers all the tension.
Themes of unbroken are dispersed throughout, with tangibles like the struggle to repair a leaking raft to the very soul of Zemperini himself (played masterfully by Jack O’Connell) as he perceivers through layers of hell most men couldn’t imagine. The flashbacks in particular demonstrate how no one plans to be where they end up, whether its a seemingly normal path or in the middle of an air battle over the ocean.
Zemperini’s hell comes to fruition at the Japanese POW camp under the ruthless control of Mutsuhiro Watanabe – a man who makes Amon Goeth of “Schindler’s List” fame seem tame in comparison.
The sequence in the POW camp will bring home the horrors of war. Takamasa Ishihara plays the cold Watanabe so well, you’ll feel as though you’re watching actual footage as he recites his sinister speech to each and every new prisoner that arrives. “You are an enemy of Japan…and will be treated accordingly.” He sneers at the prisoners while doing very little to conceal his gleeful grin.
Jolie plucked the right talent for the movie on all fronts. Jack O’Connell is a young and rising English actor who most movie fans would walk right by in a crowd without noticing. And shockingly, Takamasa Ishihara isn’t even an actor. He’s a top musician in Japan who operates under the stage name Miyavi. Both are perfect fits and bring the story of Zemperini home.
“Unbroken” is a powerful film. Its a perfect way to represent and honor military men on Memorial Day weekend. Check it out for its historical value as well as a cinematic pleasure.
by – Matt Christopher
