Unbreakable (2000) Film Review: Shyamalan's Masterpiece

When David Dunn survives a horrific accident that leaves him the unlikely sole survivor with not one scratch to show, Elijah Price confronts him about a possible theory. As Elijah was born with a disease that makes his bones extremely brittle, he always thought that there had to be someone on the opposite scale that can be impervious to pain. David at first ignores Elijah's theory, but as he discovers superhuman abilities, he starts to take Elijah seriously as he might be the world's first superhero. Over years, this film has gotten cult status as the superhero genre becomes bigger and bigger. What makes this setup work so well is how it takes itself serious in a grounded world. It's not a superhero film that has one-liners or big battles, but a human story of how one man comes to term with his destiny. It also works that the powers displayed themselves are grounded to an extent, as there's no elements or supernatural abilities. It's a slow burn film that builds up after every act with captivating dialogue and drama, with an occasional line of light humour.

Bruce Willis as David Dunn is a very good performance and is his second most iconic role after John McClaine. His character both serves as a everyman, but also a father struggling to keep his family together and the survivor's guilt he has inherited. I love the aspect that his relationship with his wife and son gets more repaired as he accepts his role as an empowered hero with his son motivating him in the process. Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price is fantastic. You understand his fanatic reasonings and feel sympathy for the pain he endures from his birth while Jackson has a soft yet calculated tone to his portrayal. His reveal as the evil mastermind is simply poetic as you realize why he did the things he did. Spencer Treat Clark as David's son is a great child actor as he is stunned by his father's abilities yet is feeling the tension between his parents to divorce. Robin Wright as Audrey, David's wife, is not used much in the film, but she's fantastic when she is onscreen with Willis. Lastly, Charlayne Woodard as Elijah's mother is another great, albeit, minimalistic performance as she helps support her son in his complicated, cruel life.  All of the actors are doing a great job and their characters are given the perfect amount of personality and detail that they appear to be life-like characters.

M. Night Shyamalan is seen as a joke for his polarizing films. Although "After Earth" and "The Last Airbender" are atrocious, I believe that's due to studio interference rather than his own mistakes. You can tell that he is passionate for his stories and filmmaking, even if the films aren't his best. Watching this film, you can tell how carefully made this film was. Even though it's not based on any comic-book, Shyamalan directed as if each frame was from a comic panel with the methodic, slow pace. It's grey and dreary, but it's visually striking with excellent composition, lighting, and cinematography by Eduardo Sierra. The long scenes of dialogue are filmed like an expressionist film back in the 70's with long takes with the camera capturing every bit of acting from the actors. The score by James Newton Howard is perhaps the best of his career. It's both powerful and awesome to listen to, with the main theme being low-key iconic. It's a shame he doesn't collaborate with Shyamalan anymore as the composer has never been in the same level as he was during that time compared to now. Shyamalan created a film before its time of relevancy as the superhero genre gets over-saturated and people not liking how it was slow and lacking action during the time. The film works so much better over time, very much like "Blade Runner" which was criticized at the time for not being action-packed like previous sci-fi classics.

"Unbreakable" is not only the best of Shyamalan's career, but is a modern masterpiece of the genre. From the grounded superhero premise and tone, fantastic cast of well-developed characters, great cinematography by Sierra, phenomenal soundtrack by James Newton Howard, and the brilliant direction by Shyamalan. I can't find one single flaw with this film. It might be too slow and dialogue-heavy for some, but that's honestly the way the film needed to be. It's an intellectual view of a superhero story that's not dumbed down for younger audiences. Even if you remove the superhero aespect, you still have a well-made, gripping story of a man going through a time of pain and confusion while questioning his purpose in life and destiny. It's a powerful movie that will surely be remembered for years to come.

Verdict: 10/10. A true masterpiece of filmmaking and writing as well as the best film of the "Eastrail 177" trilogy.