Finally got to see Angelina Jolie's directorial work titled Unbroken
SPOILER FREE
When you see a trailer of a film that looks visually striking and then see a familiar name of an actor turned filmmaker helming the movie of the trailer you're viewing, you can't help but get curious and excited at what their cooking up. Questions such as what attracted them to the project and what they hope to accomplish by taking on this directorial duty arise. Those who know of Angelina Jolie's humanitarian efforts off screen know that taking such a sensitive and inspirational topic like Unbroken, will encourage her to give her best effort as a filmmaker to bring this story to life. So far the end result has been mostly positive with audiences though critics have been divided on this one. While praising the visual style and look of the film giving the authenticity that it's really happening in the time period being presented to audiences, the films problems lie within the story structure. So I guess the question on everyone's minds is how did Unbroken really fare from an honest unbiased perspective?
I say the film did quite well. Unbroken is a fairly good inspirational human drama about overcoming captivity during war time while also remembering what makes you strong as a person in the first place and your life before the tragedy strikes. This storyline deals with captivity, survival, glorifying what's best in the human spirit, and beating the odds. It's no shocker that Angelina Jolie would be attracted to this project. It has her written all over it in terms of wanting to tell this inspirational true story. The plot of the film takes place mostly after a near-fatal plane crash in World War ll during a time when Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a total of 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewman before he ends up being caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp. The films strongest points come from the music, the acting, the authenticity of the picture with the costume, art-set decoration and cinematography all looking visually stunning. The film is well-intentioned and has heart driving the story both from Jolie's directing and the performance of Jack O' Connell as the lead character Lou Zamperini. The pacing of the film often feels slow at times, almost as if the filmmakers are trying to make you exhausted after experiencing this journey of survival and captivity. You do indeed care about the characters in the film, but also can't help but feel the movie is missing something that makes it truly standout among other great inspirational dramas. Perhaps this being the first directorial work for Jolie, she is allowing her skills to grow and will get even better as time goes on. That may very well be the case but one can't help but feel there's something that's missing from this movie that makes it truly standout as one of the best films of 2014.It could've been more powerful but still garners some truly great moments, especially one involving the lead character having to hold a piece of wood over his head and fighting to keep it in the air otherwise he gets shot. The relationships he develops with his captives on the other side of the war carries with it a dramatic irony about World War ll. Whatever the issue with the film is, it doesn't make Unbroken a failed effort. The film works best as a piece of history and retelling of a story that involves tremendous amounts of bravery and courage.
Unbroken is one of the winter seasons best films, and deserves a spot as being one of the year's finest filmmaking achievements. It's intentions are genuine, and has a powerful message it's desperately trying to get across to people, despite some minor flaws that hold it back at times. It is a well crafted film that should be seen by all filmmakers, and hopefully is the start of a promising directorial career for Angelina Jolie. Her film often at times feels like a Clint Eastwood one from the look and style of it but just needs a more commanding presence. For her first effort, this is pretty good.
8/10
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