The winter hit blockbuster called “Unbroken” takes viewers side by side with the many hardships Louis “Louie” Zamperini faced throughout his life.
Produced and directed by Angelina Jolie, “Unbroken” is based on the 2010 non-fiction book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption., written by Laura Hillenbrand.
The movie starts off showing Louie on a bomber plane in World War Two. The plane gets badly damaged in combat, with several crew members getting injured. The visual effects make one feel as if they are holding on for their dear life right there next to Louis.
This is one of the best things this movie has to offer. Through every obstacle Louie faces, it gives the viewer a perspective like no other.
Louie’s parents were Italian immigrants which created many issues for him at a young age. He was pushed around and harassed because of his ethnic background. Though he may have been smaller and weaker than the bullies, he still had one distinct advantage, his speed.
Louie went from stealing, drinking, smoking, and running from cops, to running in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.
Louie ended up setting a record for speed in the final lap in the 5000 meters race, running it in 56 seconds.
This could not have been possible without the encouraging words of his older brother, “If you can take it, you can make it.”
Louie carries these encouraging words with him throughout his whole life. Whatever stood in his way he knew that he could make it through. Being stranded at sea for 47 days, getting captured and held captive for several years by the Japanese, getting punched by every single American prisoner in the camp for basically no reason, regardless he rose victorious.
The camp in Tokyo, where Louie is sent after his capture by the Japanese, is led by a Japanese corporal, Mutsuhiro “Bird” Watanabe. “Bird” treats Louie very cruelly partially because of his status as a former Olympian, but also because Bird is jealous, which results in Louis getting beat often.
After the war Louie went back to Japan to forgive his former war-time captors. The one person who refused to meet up with him was Mutsuhiro “Bird” Watanabe.
In January 1998, Louis had an opportunity to revisit his time as an Olympian when he ran a leg of the Olympic Torch relay for the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. He was four days short of his 81st birthday.
This film makes viewers leave the theater feeling invincible. The visual effects were great and the movie did not stray from the true story behind it. Though the film may have lacked the action and suspense it was presumed to have based on the trailer, it is still a must see. “Unbroken” may have had a few slow parts, but overall it told a great story of overcoming adversity and it also showcased Angelina Jolie’s potential as an Director and a Producer.
