Unbroken lacks emotional punch.

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UNBROKEN is the true story of Louis Zamperini's time as a prisoner of war in Japan in W.W. II. The film is based on the best selling book by Laura Hillenbrand and is directed by Angelina Jolie, with Jack O'Connell as Louis Zamperini.


I have not read the book and after viewing the film, I have a feeling that some of the story was left out. What the film does cover is his 47 days at sea in a raft with two fellow crewman after their plane is shot down and crashes in the middle of the ocean. From there, the rest of the film covers his time in a Japanese POW camp.
 

My problem with the film is that it lacks the emotional punch this sort of film needs. Instead of being an inspiring story, the film version is a listless paint by numbers Oscar wanna be. The key scene in the movie, for example, where (SPOILER WARNING!!!) a frail Louis is forced to hold a board over his head for a long period of time. If he drops it, he will die. This scene should have had the audience cheering. Instead, I was underwhelmed.


As much as I wanted to like the film, I feel like the ball was dropped in a big way. From the trailer, the film looked to have the potential to be an Oscar Winner. Maybe next time for Jolie.


I give UNBROKEN an uninspiring C+.

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