Dir: M Night Shayamalan
Starring
Bruce Willis
Samuel L. Jackson
Robin Wright-Penn
Spencer Treat Clark
2000
PG-13, 107 m
RATING: 8out of 10
WHen Bruce Willis (in a muted, repressed performance) is in a disastrous trainwrekc, he is the sole survivor and is tracked down by Samuel L. Jackson,whom he suspects might know why Willis survived.
Shayamalan directs with the same eerie restraint he incorporated so well in Sixth Sense, and sometimes the long stretches that have no dialogue overshadow regular scenes. Bruce Willis' quiet performance is contrasted y Samuel L. Jackson's determined obsessed doctor, the same way Willis' dedapan doctor in Sixth Sense is overcome by Haley Joel Osment's intense supernaturally-inclined child.
ALso, Shayamalan does not forget to make us sympathize with his characters' plights. Willis' scenes of emotional estrangement from his son and wife, along with the small splashes of intermitten bonding are deeply affecting. The same goes for Jackson's scenes with his mother.
Unbreakable's cinematography is also effective, serving the workings of the script, framing each shot as if it were in a box. While the film has an overcast look to it,there are scenes lit beautifullyto contrast the overall grey blandness.
With Unbreakabke, M. Night Shayamalan proves his original handling of the Sixth Sense was not a fluke. Great storytelling, good performances, and a mysterious and original premises all come together in a wholly involving, masterstroke thriller.
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