- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
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4 out of 5
On the surface, this fantasy drama from director M Night Shyamalan resembles his previous supernatural sensation, The Sixth Sense, in that it stars Bruce Willis and deals with a paranormal phenomenon, adopting a measured pace and hymnal atmosphere en route to a surprise ending. However, it isn't another Sixth Sense - it's not as good, for a start - but it has much going for it, moving the supernatural genre to a thought-provoking and surreal new level. After becoming the sole survivor of a train crash, security guard Willis is told by brittle-boned comic-art gallery owner Samuel L Jackson that he has special powers. What's more, Jackson believes that comic books are the only way this ancient heroic history has been kept alive for contemporary mass consumption. Willis dismisses Jackson's theories as lunatic ramblings, but details from his life gradually force him to have second thoughts - could he really be a New Age avenger that weaker members of society need? More rambling than Sixth Sense, Unbreakable is still an enthralling and subtle fantasy. Shyamalan is a master storyteller whose supreme self-confidence enables him to push the viewer through assorted hoops. Shot using comic-strip camera angles that only hint at the climactic twist, Shyamalan breaks the mould in terms of mounting a semi-pretentious concept with complete assurance, combining genre language with clever sleight-of-hand to broach seriously oddball issues.
Plot Summary
Fantasy drama from the director of The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson. After surviving a train crash in which all other passengers are killed, David Dunn meets the mysterious Elijah Price who suffers from a bone condition that makes him susceptible to fractures. Obsessed with comic-book lore since childhood, Elijah believes that Dunn is an "unbreakable", a gifted individual who has the ability to survive injury and illness. Is David really a superhero or is there some other bizarre explanation?
Cast and crew
Cast
- David Dunn
- Bruce Willis
- Elijah Price
- Samuel L Jackson
- Audrey Dunn
- Robin Wright Penn
- Joseph Dunn
- Spencer Treat Clark
- Elijah's mother
- Charlayne Woodard
- Dr Matheson
- Eamonn Walker
- Kelly
- Leslie Stefanson
Crew
- Director
- M Night Shyamalan
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