By Brett Blake UNBROKEN, the second film to be directed by Angelina Jolie, is an admirably reverent and handsomely-mounted production, boasting technical credentials of the highest caliber and several very strong performances. It is flawed, however, and not without some miscalculations on scripting and execution levels, but it’s too fascinating and compelling a tale to overlook. The film tells the story of Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), who initially rises to fame as an Olympic track star in the 1930s. Following the outbreak of World War II, Zamperini enlists, and is eventually involved in a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean, which is followed by some 40+ days lost at sea before being found by the Japanese and sent to a prisoner of war camp, where further horrors are visited upon him. Jack O’Connell, playing Zamperini, does some remarkable work with some difficult material. Let’s face it, the film basically presents a series of nearly unimaginable hardships that Zamperini must endure (hardships which are probably only a hint of what the real man went through while a P.O.W.), which is something that would be difficult to navigate for most actors. O’Connell, however, keeps Zamperini incredibly relatable and human, and he displays an extraordinary sense of decency and strength. He’s not exactly a newcomer (he has a long list of credits to his name), but it’s certainly his most high-profile gig so far, and based on his work here, there are big things in store for (and from) him. O’Connell is backed-up by some fine performances from the likes of Domnhall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, and - most importantly - Miyavi, portraying the deeply unsettling Japanese commander of Zamperini’s P.O.W. camp; Miyavi (supposedly something of a superstar in his native land, hence his Madonna or Prince-esque single name) is truly eerie in the role, and his youthful boyishness clashes nicely with the character’s nefarious and chilling nature. As a director, Jolie acquits herself fine, displaying a Clint Eastwoodian sense of focus and a lack of fussiness. It’s a straight-forward job by her, allowing the events to speak for themselves rather than underlining them with flash or tricks. Though this does have a side effect of making it difficult to discern a “Jolie style” (read: there’s nothing about it that makes it identifiably a film by Angelina Jolie, but it’s early in her directorial career, so perhaps a signature style will eventually present itself), she gets out of the way of the story and lets it land with the impact it needs without forcing it. On a filmmaking craft level, UNBROKEN is certainly impressive. The production design feels authentic (ditto for the costumes), and the sound work packs a punch (quite literally, as there are more beatings depicted in this film than in any other single movie of 2014). Alexandre Desplat’s score has some lovely, effective, and uplifting moments (maybe too uplifting for the tone of the film; more on that below). The cinematography - by the great Roger Deakins - is often subtly striking; Deakins has long been a master of manipulating light and shadow, and there are images in here as indelible as any Deakins has conjured up. Never too moody, nor too nondescript, the photography fits the material perfectly. Where the movie stumbles (and it is not entirely a minor one) is in its unrelenting - sometimes downright grim - tone. While there are some well-timed moments of levity, they are few and far between, and for the most part, we are treated to a succession of human brutality that feels unending. Whether this is a pacing issue is unclear, because individual moments and sequences are cut very well, but the overall film feels quite overlong; indeed, the “lost at sea” segment feels like it goes on as long as the real ordeal did, and the same goes for the prisoner camp section of the movie. It’s puzzling; perhaps this was the intended effect, to really hammer home the unending quality of Zamperini’s real-life trials, but if that’s the case, it was a miscalculation. The movie runs 137 minutes, but it easily felt a good half hour longer than that. And the other problem is that for a film with this much tough-to-take material, the audience needs a sense of catharsis by the end, and UNBROKEN seems unwilling to give the audience that release. The movie wraps-up in what should be a conventionally-satisfying way, but after witnessing countless beatings and psychological mind games, the movie requires more of an emotional kick to bring it all home, and no such kick really arrives. Personal mileage may vary in this instance, of course, but I was left a bit cold and unfulfilled at the end of the story. I have a personal theory that co-screenwriters Joel and Ethan Coen (yes, those Coens) might have been the architects of this anti-saccharinity (I’m sure that’s not a real phrase, but I don’t care!), as their careers have never been marked by overt emotion. In short, the movie’s not cold, but it doesn’t go out of its way to send you out of the theater on a wave of good vibes, either. With all of that being said, UNBROKEN still presents a portrait of an incredible young man in extraordinary circumstances, and whatever the movie’s faults may be, it’s nearly impossible not to appreciate a film this earnest and this well-made.
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