Unbreakable (2000)

"Unbreakable" -- A Gripping, Heroic Tale
by Homer Yen
(c) 2000

Imagine that Santa has left for your child a beautifully wrapped toy on Christmas Day. While Santa knows that it's one of those high-tech mechanical dogs, several layers of wrapping paper are used to help hide its secret. As the little one tears away at the paper, what was first a formless mass is now starting to take shape. The child's eyes glow with anticipation as the truth nears. Finally, the payoff arrives, and the little tyke lets forth a wide smile knowing that it was all worth the effort.

This is the sensation that you might feel as you watch "Unbreakable," an engrossing tale about an ordinary man who experiences extraordinary events. But why does this happen? The answer, wrapped in mystery, is something that needs to be unraveled, uncovered and understood.

"Why are you looking at me like that," asks the bewildered David Dunn (Bruce Willis). He's visibly confused as he peers around the hospital's emergency room where he has been recently taken after another one of those extraordinary events. The doctor answers slowly, with a soft-spoken voice that connotes mixed feelings of curiosity and wonderment. "Your train derailed," he begins to tell him. "And to answer your question, there are two reasons why I'm looking at you this way." It seems that Dunn is the only survivor of a horrific (off-screen) train crash in which 131 other lives were lost. Moreover, there wasn't a scratch on his entire body. Although most of the train cars were badly mangled, Dunn escaped unscathed.

This event raises many questions. Is he just lucky? Perhaps he's blessed. Maybe it's something more. But whatever the mystical reason may be for his good fortune, it's an answer that begs to be revealed. As our hero begins his search for meaning, the audience eagerly and anxiously follows him every step of the way. The only thing that he does know, however, is that a stranger named Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) seems to know a lot about him. Elijah asks Dunn if he's ever been hurt, the last time he got sick, and his reason for choosing his career. Most of all, he asks Dunn to reassess his life in order to understand the truth.

>From the Oscar-nominated talent that gave us "The Sixth Sense," writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, "Unbreakable" is a hauntingly good yarn. What makes this film atypical of most other films is its inspired belief in itself and its adroitness in taking us into an alternative universe. It's almost like watching reality shift in front of our eyes as Dunn and the audience are challenged to negotiate through this labyrinth layered with hints and revelations. This transformation happens slowly, however, so don't expect a quick-paced film. Meanwhile, dialogue is spoken in a hushed tone that causes the audience to strain to hear what they are saying. I was fascinated and found it gripping, but this might be maddening for others. Ultimately, like the doctor that examines Dunn in the emergency room after that train wreck, you'll likely feel that same sense of curiosity and wonderment.

Grade: B+

S:        0 out of 3
L:        1 out of 3
V:        2 out of 3

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