Unbreakable

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2001 Howard Anderson

Story

The impact happened at 3:15 p.m. The first of the occupied passenger cars was severed in half and sent careening in two directions. The second of the passenger cars was crushed and dragged for four hundred feet. The debris spread over one mile. Six crew members were on the freight. One hundred eighteen passengers and seven crew members were on the passenger train. There is only one reported survivor.

    -- News excerpt from "Unbreakable"


In his follow up to "The Sixth Sense," Oscar-nominated writer/director M. Night Shyamalan has created another unique suspense thriller. Bruce Willis again stars, this time as David Dunn, the sole survivor of a devastating train wreck. Samuel L. Jackson co-stars as Elijah Price, a mysterious stranger who offers a bizarre explanation as to why David escaped without a single scratch, an explanation that threatens to change David's family and life forever.

Review

"Unbreakable" is the kind of cinematic rarity that will challenge all of your preconceptions and surpass them. The film is an amalgamation of modern pop mythology and the harsh reality of everyday life, and somehow M. Night Shyamalan has managed to bring these stark opposites together in a manner that is simply staggering. This film is about the fantastic made believable, as the story revolves around the subject of comic books and the devolution of that realm and the characters inhabiting it into something flawed and all too human. In many ways it reminded me of Allan Moore and Dave Gibbon's "Watchmen", but here the events at hand, all though triggered by something tremendous, are made to seem even more down to earth in their demythified state of credulity. And it works. It works brilliantly.

During the last five or six years Bruce Willis has come a long way as an actor, and his interpretation of David Dunn is nothing short of remarkable in its subdued intricacy. In true comic book fashion the story deals very much with the social phobias of fitting in and finding ones place in the world, and Willis is able to project that into everything from body language to the restrained way he tries time and time again to open up verbally to his wife, played superbly by Robin Wright Penn. He nails the part of David Dunn in both the emotional and physical sense, and I can't imagine anyone else pulling off this character as well as him.

And then there's Samuel L. Jackson. At least I think it's him, but his uncanny ability to change his appearance into fitting with whatever character he's playing could make any person hesitate, despite the obvious similarities. The only way I can describe his performance here, is by saying that he is Mr. Glass, completely and utterly, from his shockingly fragile exterior to his acutely sharp intellect. Spencer Treat Clark, who played Lucius in "Gladiator", also made a strong impression as Joseph, the son of David Dunn, and he shows here that he can hold his own against the best of them.

M. Night Shyamalan has elevated himself to a whole new level of filmmaker and storyteller with "Unbreakable", and although "The Sixth Sense" was an exceptionally well-crafted supernatural thriller, so much of that film still rested upon the pay-off condensed into the last three or four minutes. There is a surprise in store for the viewer here too, but there is also a much stronger and more thoroughly developed storyline to keep the viewer intrigued continuously. And to coincide with that, Director of Photography Eduardo Serra has utilized a visual approach that is elaborate and stunning, and gives the film a very unique look. The framing of the shots, the particular way of introducing key elements and reoccurring themes, the strong use of color to emphasize certain characters and objects... Shyamalan and Serra have taken the images that tell the story and made them just as captivating and intricate as the story itself. This is moviemaking on a grand level.

Image

Presented in its original aspect ration of 2.35:1, this anamorphic transfer is perfection in every sense of the word. With all the bonus materials stored on the second disc, this film suffers none of the compression problems that may more easily appear on single disc special editions. In fact, there are no problems here whatsoever. The image is as clear as glass, the colors are as solid as they come, and the amount of detail is incredible. I can find no faults with this presentation. It is unadulterated feast for the eyes.

Sound

"Unbreakable" comes with both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS soundtracks, and from the moment David Dunn takes his seat on that doomed train during the opening sequence, you know that you're in for the kind of incredible aural experience that will totally envelope you and leave you shaken come the end credits. In addition to the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track, you are also given the option of Spanish and French dubs in the same format, and although the Dolby Digital track is outstanding in every way, it is still not up to the level of sonic euphoria that the DTS track delivers. James Newton Howard's fantastic score fills the room beautifully, and at times it can pack quite a punch. When called for the surrounds are as active as they come, as all five channels are used to emerse you completely and utterly into the world of David Dunn and Elijah Price. The LFE channel has not been forgotten either, and is given plenty to do, especially during the train station sequence. The dialogue is crystal clear throughout, and there is not a single word spoken by any of the characters that you'll not be able to catch. This soundtrack is easily reference quality.

Features

"Unbreakable" is the first film released as part of Disney/Buena Vista's new Vista Series, and these exclusive releases are meant to reflect the finest that DVD has to offer in terms of quality and content. But as far as the special features are concerned, I had in all honesty expected a little more.
On Disc 2 you'll find a feature called "Comic Books and Superheroes", and clocking in at 19 minutes it gives you a nice look at the history and evolution of comic books. The Behind the Scenes feature is also a great addition to the DVD. It goes on for 14 minutes, and it's a featurette that gives you more than just a glorified teaser with interviews inserted here and there. The Train Station Sequence: Multi-Angle Feature is also well worth a look. Here you get to compare the storyboard drawings of the train station sequence to the final film version. This feature also comes with three separate audio tracks. There is the 5.1 mix from the film, the 5.1 score only, and the 5.1 effects track. There are nine Deleted Scenes to be found here, where each separate scene is introduced by M. Night Shyamalan. Some of these were really cool, and I think my favorite would have to be the "Weightlifting in Locker Room" sequence, as that one was just a real blast. The final thing to be found here is "An Excerpt from an Early Film of M. Night Shyamalan." It's a fun inclusion, and similar to the one found among the bonus features for "The Sixth Sense." But the thing that I can't figure out is why on earth isn't there an Audio Commentary track located on Disc 1, or for that matter, why they haven't included Cast & Crew information or the Original Theatrical Trailer on Disc 2? It's not like they ran out of space...

Overall Opinion

"Unbreakable" is a truly great film, and all though it met with a much more mixed reception than "The Sixth Sense", I still loved every minute of it. The DVD transfer is reference quality, both aurally and visually, but it is undeniably a bit lacking in the special features department, especially since this is a 2-Disc set and the first of Disney's much-hyped Vista Series.