M. Night Shyamalan’s take on the superhero genre is one of his best films. Unbreakable is smart and has a jaw-dropper of an ending.
When David Dunn (Bruce Willis) escapes from a train wreck without a single scratch, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) is convinced it’s because he’s special: the real-life equivalent of a comic book superhero.
Almost all of M. Night’s films are about two topics and the unexpected way they intersect. An alien invasion and a preacher who’s lost his faith. A family stranded on a hostile planet and a son trying to prove himself to his father. A trio of women trying to escape their abductor and the idea that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Same here. While on the surface “Unbreakable” is about a man who might be a superhero (for a lack of a better term) it’s also about a person who finds their purpose in life. I love superhero films, but the first installments are usually my least favorite. I want to see the acts of heroism. I’m less interested in their personal life with the obligatory love interest, the villain whose origin is tied with the hero’s, the development of the costume, etc. Particularly with modern superhero films, it feels as if what we're watching is just the building to something else. Not this time.
While Unbreakable contains elements of fantasy, this is a tale mostly grounded in reality. The characters feel genuine. Elijah is kind of sad, and your heart goes out to him when he finds this person he’s been looking for. David may be invulnerable on the outside but you’re worried for his personal life. There aren’t any big action sequences in the film but you’re captivated nonetheless.
My one criticism is that M. Night clearly wanted to include certain comic books and comic book characters in the story but couldn’t. That was outside of his control. What wasn't was the screenplay, which could've been adjusted accordingly. At a glance, you’d swear that Elijah is holding a copy of Action Comics #1 (the first appearance of Superman) but upon closer inspection, it’s some made-up title with the same font. He couldn’t get Marvel to allow him to show Amazing Fantasy #15 instead? You see Marvel Comic books everywhere else in the background, so why not? I know it seems like a small thing, but this picture is all about superheroes. Elijah collects them, it explores the topic deeply because it knows what we know and expect. M. Night is obviously knowledgeable about the subject which makes this detail stick out.
Unbreakable doesn't get the proper credit it deserves. There have been many superhero movies made since and few have approached their powers and characters with the same insight and self-reflection as this one. It isn’t big, but it feels personal, and that ending... it's one you can't forget. (Theatrical version on DVD, January 31, 2017)
