Discover Yourself Today (Unbreakable (DVD))

Member Name: ManUtdBoi

Product:	Unbreakable (DVD)
Date:	08/11/05 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Jackson, dialogue.

Disadvantages: meandering pace, Willis at times below par

Elijah Price is an intriguing individual. Born with a disease that limits his ability to heal, or more precisely, aids his ability to become injured, he sets out on a journey to find his opposite; the one that need not heal, the one that doesn't injure as he does. In comparison, security guard David Dunn goes about his everyday life with little knowledge of his sick record, of the fact that, throughout his entire life, he's barely a scratch to his name. The chance meeting of the two only comes about when David (Bruce Willis) becomes the sole survivor of a horrific train accident that sees him walk away unharmed, whilst each other individual fails to walk away at all.

It is from this point that Elijah questions David, questions him as to whether he is in fact the opposite that he's been searching for all his life, the one with the superhero characteristics, the one that simply can't be harmed by any means. As would be expected, David sees this as simply the act of a crazed individual, an individual that has spent a third of his life investing in the beliefs of comic books and all that they bring. But with persistence, Elijah seemingly convinces David that he may well be the man at the other end of the spectrum, the one he so desperately seeks.

From the director of the Sixth Sense comes Unbreakable; a film depicting the journey of self-discovery on the part of two individuals, Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson. Willis plays David, an ex football league star who's career was so harshly cut short by a car accident many years back, whilst Jackson is nothing short of excellent as the somewhat questionable Elijah; an individual alternatively known as 'Mr Glass', due to his fragile nature. It is with that said that the journey begins; is David really the one Elijah's been seeking for so long? will David be drawn into Elijah's somewhat shoddy mindset?

Upon finding a suspiciously placed note under the windscreen wiper of his car, David Dunn sets off to the previously undiscovered 'Limited Edition' comic book store in search of some answers. There he encounters Elijah, an individual obviously short of a marble or two, but an individual that asks questions of David, questions David hadn't previously considered. Exactly how many sick days had he previously taken from work? Exactly what previous injuries had he suffered? The answer to both; none. Elijah poses it to David that he is in fact the one he seeks, the one at the other end of the spectrum to himself….the one that cannot be harmed, as if in comic book superhero fashion.

The encounters with Elijah lead David to thusly question himself. After all, this is a guy that, having never previously taken a sick day, also chooses to work in the security profession, conveniently as protection to others; and upon admitting to himself that the very injury that supposedly finished his football career was in fact flawed, he begins to see Elijah's perspective on things - maybe he is in fact 'the one' that the wheelchair bound individual seeks after all. In fact, Elijah's theories go so far as to cause David's son to pull a gun on him, in a vain attempt to prove his invincibility.

Jackson is exceptional as Elijah; a character that, on closer inspection, is a troubled individual who's rough past has caused his somewhat questionable present. His fragile state that thusly caused him to rely on comics for comfort throughout his childhood, leads to his questioning of both himself and David. What we discover is that there's far more than meets the eye with regard to Elijah, he's not all he seems, and that's something that becomes all to apparent in Mr Shyamalan's now trademark twist; but of course, I'm not one for ruining things.

On the other hand, Willis turns in a relatively sub-par performance throughout; looking remarkably blank in expression for nigh-on the entirety of the film. I suppose one could say, that as the seemingly 'unofficial' sequel to the Sixth Sense (ah c'mon, the similarities are all to obvious), that Willis himself is reading from the same script, failing to do anything wide of the mark. In terms of a support cast, Robin Wright Penn is well cast as Audrey, David's long term partner, who has to watch his transition from relatively normal husband, to self-questioning obsessive; whilst Spencer Treat Clark does an amicable job as Willis' son, brought into the situation whilst encountering Elijah.

Unbreakable is, as with any other Shyamalan picture, a trick of the mind. It lulls you into one way of thinking, only to differ in perspective once you encounter it's twist (generally situated just before the ending). The performances on the whole, are sound; Jackson is the stand-out as the questioning Elijah, whilst Willis is amicable in the part of David, a security guard who probably wished he'd never encountered the comic book shop owner. The storyline is strong, and whilst it meanders along at snails pace, it eventually gets somewhere; somewhere that, if not reasonably 'new', still makes for interesting closure.

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Extras;

Behind The Scenes - a look at the making of the film, including cast interviews. as with the majority of 'behind the scenes' extras, it fails to really add anything sufficient to the disk, other than the odd intriguing insight.

Multi Angle Featurette of the 'Train Station Sequence'. again, it's something you'll see on most DVD extras these days, giving the impression it's been added simply to pad out the overall package a little more.

Early excerpts from a Shyamalan picture.

Comic Book / Superheros featurette (w/ Samuel L. Jackson). probably the more interesting of the discs extras, it finally provides something worthwhile to accompany the film itself.

All in all, the extras are nothing particularly special, but if you purchase the DVD, check them out anyway.

Summary: one of Shyamalan's better flicks to date....