Unbroken

Ratings: 7.1/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Drama (Biography)

Follow the life story of Louis Zamperini, a US Olympic runner who was a prisoner of war during World War 2. His epic battle for survival despite his spew of tragic luck is what this movie is all about. I remember reading about him in Bear Gryll's True Grit book, but it didn't occur to me it was "Louis's" story until the part that he was stranded out at sea. Well we know what happens next, as shown in the trailer, him being caught by the Japanese and being tortured and all.

It was a really... tragic story. Depressing beyond repair. Unlike most sad movies, there's really not much of a sliver lining to look out for. Brace yourself for a 137-minute sympathy draining train ride. It was a linear road to demise, at some point in the movie, I just wished it had moved a little faster. I don't want to sound unsympathetic but even though I know that's probably the intention of Director Angelina Jolie to prolong the agony so that the audience is able to empathise with the lead character (well it's based on a true story after all), it felt more draggy than engaging. 

But if anything at all, Unbroken makes one reflect on life and is a constant reminder that no matter how shi**y you think your life is, it's not even close to the one Louis Zamperini had. If he can survive that, no one's gonna judge you if you can't survive even 1/5 of the mental and physical abuse he had to go through (ok, I'm being sarcastic here in case you didn't catch that). In a way, I felt a spark of spiritual strength reignited inside of me because I know that if "I can take it, I can make it". 

That said, there's a couple of memorable quotes that Louis's wise brother shed light on during the pivotal points in his life. Overall, I would say it's a rather inspiring movie biography, not the best, but "coal" enough.