Unbreakable

I watched this film for the first time a little over two years ago and was unfortunately not the biggest fan of it. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it didn’t really click for me. Upon a rewatch, I now understand why so many people cherish this film. I’ve only seen one other Shyamalan movie, The Sixth Sense, which is really good, but I think Unbreakable surpasses the greatness of it and is undeniably his masterpiece. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson deliver some of the best performances of their careers and bring such overwhelming emotional depth to their characters and to the movie as a whole. This is a superhero film done right. Shyamalan understands how superheroes and villains are always complete opposites in comic books and he brings that concept to his very own movie in a brilliant way. He is able to create a magnificent origin story of a hero and in doing so, manipulates not only the audience into thinking something, but also the movie’s protagonist. I love how Shyamalan sprinkles in hints through his dialogue as to what will happen later on in the movie, most notably the line “They say this one has a surprise ending.” Also, the camera work is truly exceptional. I love the unbroken shots of Bruce Willis, I love the use of mirrors in the opening scene that instills confusion within the viewer, I love the continuous shot of Bruce Willis on the train near the beginning that goes back and forth between seats, and I love the shot of Willis’ character David Dunn being examined by a doctor as the only other survivor of the train accident dies in front of him, albeit from a distance. Anyway, this is a great movie and has such an insane ending. I’m excited to watch Split, as well as Glass. I am curious as to how they will connect to Unbreakable.