Title: Unbroken
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Angelina Jolie (yes you read that right!)
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Miyavi
Runtime: 2 hr 17 mins

What It Is: The real life story of Olympian, Soldier and Prisoner of War Louie Zamperini, an unbelievable tale that finds the humble Louie dealing with his immigrant beginnings in Southern California. As he grows up he begins to realize he can run faster then the other kids. In high school he broke every record he could, all the way up into the Olympics when he competed in the 5,000 meter in which he set the record for a single lap during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Mind you he was only 19 years old at the time. From there he moved on to becoming a bombadier in World War II. He then gets lost at Sea for a month and a half, and captured by the Japanese where he’s held by the hellacious Watanabe. Through it all Louie remains strong, and postive believing he can achieve anything if he just believes he can.

What We Think: Jack O’Connell as he did in Starred Up brings his A game, but it’s a different sort of sport this film. Jolie is too derivetive and doesn’t do anything a half dozen other “true stories” haven’t done. Likewise Jolie seems absolutely lost once Louie gets lost and the film drags on and on. Its almost as if she just watched a bunch of other similar films and said…yup that’s what we’ll do. Lots of fat to trim from this story. Performances outside of O’Connell were meh, but I would like to mention Domhnall Gleeson for a moment. Mr. Gleeson has been fantastic this year, not only did I just get to catch his great RomCom About Time this year, but he was also great in Frank  his next project that I can recall is a huge one Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens big plans he has indeed. As for Jolie as a director I’m uncertain of what’s next for her her previous film for which she was behind the lens was 2011’s In the Land of Blood and Honey and that like this was uneven, and sloppy at times. Hopefully she’ll go back to just acting.

Our Grade: C-,  Big disappointment with this one I for sure thought this film would be an epic on par with many other life stories that are so hyperbolic they seem fake. It wasn’t the story I didn’t believe it was the film itself. It felt fake, over soaked in sentiment and simply vague. It’s by no means a bad film just not the one this story deserves. In the hands of a more capable director this would, and could have been a piece of art. Instead here it gets all it’s potential squandered