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- "Unbreakable"
(Reviewed November 16, 2000)
- Bruce Willis essentially reprises his "Sixth Sense" role in this kind-of-flat follow-up to that vastly overpraised film. Although he is playing a different character, virtually all of his
mannerisms are the same: The dull delivery, the just-woke-up-and-don't-have-it-together-yet attitude, the permanently blank stare. Substituting for Haley Joel Osment this time around is that little boy from
"Gladiator" who looks like a little girl.
This probably will be the only review of "Unbreakable" that does NOT reveal any aspect of the story. That's not because the plot is anything great, but because in these kinds of movies the ending is
everything, so spoiling it would be rather churlish. (An aside: Last year, one of those screechingly awful guest-critics who popped up in Siskel's vacated chair on "Siskel & Ebert" was stupidly arrogant
enough
to ruin the ending of "Sixth Sense" by saying -- STOP READING RIGHT NOW IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE DOZEN OR SO PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO HAS NOT SEEN "SIXTH SENSE" --
that
the climax reminded him of Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire." Which reminds me of the time my younger brother and one of his friends were leaving an opening-day showing of "Star Trek II: The Wrath
of
Khan," and yelled to people who were waiting in line for the next show, "Spock dies! Kirk has an illegitimate son!" Tsk, tsk, tsk.)
Without revealing any "Unbreakable" details, I will say that this movie never really took off for me. I kept waiting for a big payoff that turned out to be a small payoff. And the surprise ending is
okay, but only if you don't think about it. (The movie would have been over in five minutes if...oh, never mind.)
Even with all of those criticisms, at least this movie is something different. And I actually like that deadpan character Bruce Willis keeps playing in all of his "serious" movies. Hey, if Nicholson
and
De Niro can keep playing the same guy with different names, why not "Bruno?"
So if you go to the theatre expecting a medium-quality "Twilight Zone"-type tale--not one of the true classics, but one that at least does not make you think that the writer regards you as a complete
moron--you won't be too disappointed. Faint praise, maybe, but that's about all the excitement I can muster for this one-note, low-key dirge.
Back Row Grade: C
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