Scooter Chronicles

On Saturday afternoon, Marcia and I watched (more like finished) “Unbreakable”, an M. Night Shyamalan movie starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.

The plot synopsis written by Julian Reischl and posted on IMDB:

Security Guard David Dunn (Willis) miraculously survives a catastrophic train crash outside Philadelphia. Not only is he the sole survivor out of 132 passengers, he also is completely unharmed. A little later, comic book specialist Elijah Price (Jackson) contacts him to confront David with an incredible theory: Elijah, who has been nicknamed “Mr. Glass” due to his more than fragile bones, thinks that David has got all which he himself lacks. The two of them “seem to be linked by a curve, but sitting on opposite ends”. First, David does not believe the strange man, but every single thing he had said proves to be true: David has never ever been hurt or sick in his life, his physical strength is larger than normal and he has a skill which others don’t. Slowly, David begins to discover the shocking truth behind Mr. Price’s assumptions. But after all, David’s fate is not only to find his real place in the world. It also is about proving Elijah’s theory of his own existence.

I had read that this was Shyamalan’s best movie, or at least considered, because it didn’t rely on a big twist near the end of the movie. In some respects that’s wrong. The twist part that is. There is a twist at the end, but it doesn’t totally take down all that has happened prior. (For those of you that have seen Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense” or “The Village”, you know what I am talking about.) However, a good portion of the movie deals with David’s reaction to his issues, and how he deals with the unwanted advances from Elijah, along with a married that is on the to divorce, and his son’s belief in Elijah’s theory.

I don’t remember many of the camera angles or shots from “The Sixth Sense”, but much of the way “Unbreakable” is shot is to add to the drama, I suppose. From the movies of Shyamalan’s that I do remember vividly, there is little in them like this. It is rather unique at times, and rather annoying at others. I am sure that many see this film as a great push to make the shots a contributor into making it more thrilling.

I can see why some would consider this Shyamalan’s best work. As much as I liked “The Village” when I originally saw it, the feeling has faded over time. “The Sixth Sense” had a great haunted appeal about it, and feel that it still worked. However, I think in the long run (barring any new movies) I think this will remain my favorite. The thing about Shyamalan’s movies though is that you walk away scratching you head. “Was it as good as I think it was, or was it just a juvenile twist?” And no matter what the answer is, if you gotta think about it at the end, then it did a good job on some level.