Unbroken

This review may contain spoilers!

This is probably one of the more boring war stories that I have ever seen. I would give Unbroken a 6/10.

The story itself flourishes in it's ability to portray the intense horrors of war upon a character that we as an audience have grown to empathise with strongly. Furthermore this film has a great score that really moves between the varying acts strongly. The special effects were also incredible, I think quite highly of all of the scenes that had aerial gunfire or gunfights.

Jack O'Connell, who played Louis Zamperini, was a fantastic leading actor; he portrayed a character that strived to be someone amazing and admirable but then had to suffer greatly. C.J. Valleroy, John D'Leo and Alex Russell, who played Young Louie, Young Pete and Older Pete respectively, didn't have much time in the film to create an amazing back story; yet it fast became a highlight of the film to see the relationships and bonds formed between these two characters as they grew older.

I found that it was Garrett Hedlund, who played Fitzgerald, that shined in this film. The guy felt like a soldier, in a film where most of the actors felt like they were playing soldiers. Hedlund gave a rugged portrayal of a prisoner of war and shined as a very clear leader, it was more inspiring when he stood up to Watanabe than when Zamperini did.

The film had a first act that bounced around and grounded itself in falshback too much, a second act that dragged on for far too long and essentially a final act that you could have figured out from the trailer. Basically it was a very poorly written and structured film. The cinematography and editing did not help this with long lingering shots and a lack of imagination in how things were captured which only served to make the film seem to drag on for longer.

Domhnall Gleeson, who played Phil, was a very weak character; he had next to no presence up until the point where you didn't even notice when his character left. Takamasa Ishihara, who played Watanabe, was a very weak antagonist; it was like watching a child act in the sense that it was only the action of the scene that ever made him look good. Finn Wittrock, who played Mac, was just a confusing character to watch; his slow breakdown and then death was more pathetic than tragic.