Louis "Louie" Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) grew up a rebellious troublemaker. His brother Peter (Alex Russell) saw that Louie had a talent for running and helped to train him as an athlete. Zamperini eventually makes it to the 1939 Olympic games in Berlin, where his success highlights his strong potential. However when war breaks out, Louie becomes a bombardier in the U.S Air Force where his plane is eventually shot down.
After surviving at sea for months on end with his crew mates, Russell (Domhnall Gleeson) and Mac (Finn Wittrock), they are captured by the Japanese and sent to a prisoner of war camp, where Zamperini encounters a vicious guard, Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe (Miyavi).
I'll be honest, I had a lot of issues with this film, and was left a little disappointed. For a script that was, in part, written by the Coen Brothers, it's decidedly underwhelming. The dialogue is at points clichéd, and often dull, for instance, one of the most evocative lines is literally Zamperini recounting a recipe. There's also its timing. At a little over two hours, it's certainly not long compared to other war features, yet it felt quite drawn out. Split into three parts, it moves along smoothly enough but at a slow rate, and some times almost carbon-copying whole sequences from similar movies such as Life of Pi and The Bridge on the River Kwai. It may be telling a true story but it should be able to differentiate itself in the presentation of that story. Though that's not to say that some scenes don't work quite well, there are certainly some powerful moments throughout, but they stand out like a sore thumb.
None of this is helped by the fact that O'Connell's performance as Zamperini feels somewhat forced. He's by no means terrible, but he wasn't particularly convincing, and this made it difficult for me to understand or relate with the character, and subsequently the story started to lose my attention. Japanese singer Miyavi is decent as the brutal Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe, a POW guard that abuses Zamperini, though he doesn't have the same screen presence as his filmic equivalent, the ruthless Colonel Saito in Bridge on the River Kwai, although that was a fictional character. Both Fin Wittrock and Domhnall Gleeson are great as Zamperini's lost companions.
Considering that epic DP Roger Deakins, long-term collaborator with the Coen Bros, was involved with Unbroken, it's visually quite ordinary. Much of the film has been colourised to the bland "Summer Blockbuster" look that favours oranges and subsequently makes most people appear like Oompa Loompas. The plane sequences in the first act are very obviously CGI, which wouldn't normally bother me but for fairly straightforward shots, it would seem like some practical effects/model work would be much more effective here. There are also some weird issues throughout, such as the fact that Zamperini appears to have styled a goatee in his months at sea. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't think that grooming would be their primary concern in that situation.
None of this is helped by the fact that O'Connell's performance as Zamperini feels somewhat forced. He's by no means terrible, but he wasn't particularly convincing, and this made it difficult for me to understand or relate with the character, and subsequently the story started to lose my attention. Japanese singer Miyavi is decent as the brutal Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe, a POW guard that abuses Zamperini, though he doesn't have the same screen presence as his filmic equivalent, the ruthless Colonel Saito in Bridge on the River Kwai, although that was a fictional character. Both Fin Wittrock and Domhnall Gleeson are great as Zamperini's lost companions.
Considering that epic DP Roger Deakins, long-term collaborator with the Coen Bros, was involved with Unbroken, it's visually quite ordinary. Much of the film has been colourised to the bland "Summer Blockbuster" look that favours oranges and subsequently makes most people appear like Oompa Loompas. The plane sequences in the first act are very obviously CGI, which wouldn't normally bother me but for fairly straightforward shots, it would seem like some practical effects/model work would be much more effective here. There are also some weird issues throughout, such as the fact that Zamperini appears to have styled a goatee in his months at sea. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't think that grooming would be their primary concern in that situation.
I always admire the drive to make a biopic, especially one as ambitious as this, but unfortunately many of the issues here are indicative of textbook directing from Jolie, not terrible, just nothing special. The musical score did impress me and there were a few standout scenes, but generally this just fell flat. I have no doubt that Zamperini's story is one that should be told, but this film doesn't do it justice.
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