Unbroken (DVD REVIEW)
Unbroken
DVD Review by Kam Williams
WWII Flick Recounts Real-Life Ordeal of American POW
Do you remember how,
Infamous, a biopic about Truman Capote, was released right on the heels of the
one entitled Capote? But because the latter had already received considerable
critical acclaim, including an Oscar for the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, the
Johnnie-come-lately had little chance of making more than a blip on the radar.
The same fate might befall
Unbroken, a World War II saga directed by Angelina Jolie. The parallels between
this picture and The Railway Man are impossible to ignore, since they both
recall the real-life ordeal of a POW tortured by a sadistic, Japanese officer.
The Railway Man, which
opened last April, was based on Eric Lomax’s autobiography, and starred the
charismatic Colin Firth in the title role opposite Tanroh Ishida as the sick
interrogator who seemed to take pleasure in beating him mercilessly. Although
Lomax would survive Singapore,
he was left traumatized by the grueling ordeal, and ultimately attempted to
exorcise his demons by returning to Southeast Asia
to track down his abuser.
The correspondingly-themed
Unbroken was adapted from the Laura Hillenbrand’s (Seabiscuit) best-seller of
the same name recounting bombardier Louie Lamperini’s (Jack O’Connell) struggle
to survive a POW camp in Tokyo
after his plane crashed in the Pacific
during a rescue mission. Because he had represented the U.S. in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, he was singled
out for special mistreatment by a cruel prison guard (Takamasa Ishihara). And later in life, he would
return to the Orient to try to confront that evil creep who’d singled him out
for an extra measure of persecution.
Unbroken,
like The Railway Man, even ends with a touching, closing credits photo montage
featuring snapshots of both the hero and his tormentor which only added to this
critic’s profound sense of déjà vu. An honorable, historical drama who’s
primary flaw rests in its being released in the wake of a more-compelling
biopic revolving around similar subject-matter.
An
uplifting tribute to the indomitability of the human spirit.
Very Good (2.5 stars)
Rated
PG-13 for brief profanity and intense brutality
In
English, Italian and Japanese with subtitles
Running
time: 138 minutes
Distributor:
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Blu-ray/DVD
Combo Pack Extras: Deleted scenes; Inside Unbroken; cast and crew concert
featuring Miyavi; Prison Camp Theater: Cinderella; Louis’ Path to Forgiveness;
and The Real Louis Zamperini.
To
see a trailer for Unbroken, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8mBzKLhL0U
To
order Unbroken on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, visit:
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