Unbreakable (Vista Series)

Rating:
Summary: Another M. Night Shyamalan disaster
Review: Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson do their best, but are undone by the ultimate auteur of our age, M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan's films are characterized by being plodding and moody, always with a "surprise" ending. Well, sorry, what he conceives of as being profound and clever, I see as lumbering and predictable.

There are people whose films I like, those whose films I admire, those whose work I admire more than I like, and those whose work I like more than I admire. At the ends of the spectrum are those whose work I both admire and like and those whose work I neither admire nor like. Shyamalan is in this latter group.

If you like any other of his films, you're probable slow enough to like this one. Otherwise, avoid at all costs!

Rating:
Summary: Another solid effort from Shyamalan
Review: M. Night Shyalaman seem to be, to use a horrible cliche, a victim of his own success. "The Sixth Sense" was such a tremendous success, expectations are ridiculously high for Shyamalan's other efforts. This is at least part of the explanation for the horrid reviews some give "Unbreakable", which I feel is well written and well acted, with an ending that caught me more off guard than the twist ending of "The Sixth Sense". The idea of a whole film dedicated to a character's discovery of his extraordinary powers (as opposed to covering that ground in 10 or 15 minutes) is clever, and Shyamalan handles the premise brilliantly. Bruce Willis again turns in a strong performance, and Samuel L. Jackson is excellent as well. There are some powerful scenes in "Unbreakable"- the hospital scene is excellent, and the staircase scene proves that Shyamalan is a film student who took his lessons to heart. Just as "The Sixth Sense" is a ghost story that's ultimately not about the ghosts, "Unbreakable" is a superhero story that, in the end, isn't about super powers. Another excellent film from Shyalaman.