Good will conquer Evil, yin is balanced by yang, every
superhero must do battle with a larger-than-life enemy; sound
like what great comic books are made of ? ÉExactly. UNBREAKABLE,
M. Night Shyamalan's first effort after the ultra-successful
SIXTH SENSE, is a supernatural thriller with yet another of
the talented Mr. Shyamalan's twist endings. (Don't worry, we're
not revealing it here).
DAVID DUNN (Bruce Willis) is a security guard at a sports
arena. Years ago, he was a college football hero but he gave
all that up to please his wife AUDREY (Robin Wright-Penn).
Now, David's marriage is on the rocks and his relationship
with his son JOSEPH (Spencer Clark) is strained. You see,
David is a hollow man, a mere shell going through the motions
until he becomes the sole survivor of a devastating train
wreck. At this point, David is contacted by ELIJAH PRICE,
(Samuel L. Jackson) a connoisseur of comic book art and myth.
In Elijah's theory, David is a superhero; an "unbreakable"
savior who just hasn't found his true calling. Elijah has
suffered from a rare bone disease since birth. He is extremely
"breakable" and he's spent his life looking for his exact
opposite.
As much as David tries to laugh off Elijah's bizarre theory,
he starts realizing that he's never been sick or injured a
day in his life. He also has a few mental abilities that he's
been in denial about. David's gradual acceptance of Elijah's
seemingly wacko theory results in a shot of self-esteem that
reknits the broken bones of his family and starts David down
a new life path. All would seem well but, as he did in SIXTH
SENSE, Mr. Shyamalan has a final surprise in store for us.
UNBREAKABLE isn't THE SIXTH SENSE. There is no unbelievably
charismatic little kid that we all want to save. There are
few really scary moments but there are plenty of moments of
suspense, wry humor and mystery. Shyamalan is exploring good
and evil here and balancing the Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker
in all of us.
This movie makes you think. The characters are all flawed
and, oddly, both larger-than-life and strangely human. Although
the direction is a little slow at times, you find yourself
compelled to find out what happens to these people. In one
instance, the writer/director brilliantly conveys feelings
between the father and son without a word being spoken. Through
it all, however, you know that there's got to be that trademark
twist in there somewhere and you won't be disappointed. I
will say that if you are a fan of comic books (aka graphic
novels) then UNBREAKABLE will appeal to you on a whole advanced
level. If not, then go along for the ride anyway. It'll tickle
the brain matter and bring out the "hero" in you. Go with
your pals or a date.
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Written by: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Bruce Willis As David Dunn, Samuel L. Jackson as
Elijah Price, Robin Wright Penn as Audrey Dunn, Spencer Clark
as Joseph Dunn Rated PG-13
Film opens November 22nd
Official Website: http://studio.go.com/movies/unbreakable/intro.html
