"Unbroken," is a true story drama and biographical film about Louis Zamperini. He was an American Olympian who survived a World War II plane crash, 47 days on a raft in the Pacific Ocean, and 27 months in Japanese POW camps. The movie is based on a 2010 non-fiction novel by Laura Hillenbrand, entitled "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
The film lightly covers Zamperini's youth from just before his teen years, through his high school and Olympic competition in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. And then, his WW II service as an Army Air Forces bombardier. Considerable time is given to his 47 days of survival on a raft after his plane crashed in the ocean. It was on a rescue mission out of Hawaii on May 27, 1943. The plane had engine failure and went down about 850 miles South of Honolulu. Zamperini and two others of the 11-man crew survived the crash, but one of them died after a month afloat on the ocean. Zamperini floated to the Marhsall Islands where they were captured by the Japanese.
The bulk of the film from then is about Zamperiini's endurance and survival of frequent torture. Zamperini was held in four different POW camps, but the film focuses on his time in the last two in Japan. His camp commander was Corporal and later Sergeant Mutsuhiro Watanabe. After the war, he was listed by General Dougals MacArthur as one of the most notorious war criminals, but he escaped capture.. The Omori POW camp was on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. It was just outside Tokyo in the northeast of the bay, and was connected to the mainland by a bamboo bridge. When Zamperini's prison detail was let outside the prison gates to dump the latrine waste in the bay, Mt. Fuji loomed in the distance. That camp was closed after the American bombing of Tokyo in early March of 1945. Smoke can be seen rising above the city.
The blood-thirsty Watanabe had been promoted and moved to command Naoetsu POW camp. After Tokyo was bombed, the POWs were moved by truck and train to the POW camp which was near the Japan coal fields. So, once again, they were under Watanabe and Zamperini had more torture to endure from him. Less than six months later, the war came to an end.. The film shows Zamperini going to Watanabe's quarters and finding him gone.
Zamperini had been listed as KIA (Killed in Action) the last year of the war, so his survival and return home was a surprise and special celebration among family and his whole hometown of Torance, California.
The focus of this film was the tenacity, resilience, determination and strength of Zamperini to endure and survive all that he did. It also speaks of the tenacity of the Allied POWs overall. There is a notable short scene in which Zamperini promises God that he will serve him if he is allowed to survive, but otherwise the film has no hint of any prayers, faith, or religion by any of the POWs. Zamperini was raised Catholic, and even if he had not been active in his faith before this, it's odd that there are no outward signs of faith by any of the Christians who would make up most of the POWs in these camps. An old adage about war says that there are no atheists in foxholes. Many movies and stories from WW II have mentions or brief scenes of men praying, including in POW camps. I didn't read the book about Zamperini, so I don't know how much it may had any more references to faith among the men.. I found only one drawback with the film and that was the obvious CGI of the plane flying. Perhaps Hollywood will one day find a way to make CGI look more real, but until then, CGI is as much distraction from a story as it is a picture of it.
This is a very well-made movie - from screenplay, to direction, to sets and cast. Jack O'Connell is very good as the hero, and all others give her good performances. This was Angelina Jolie's third film that she directed. The film was shot mostly in Australia.
Perhaps, a little bit of history about WW II and the Japanese may be of interest. The Japanese military culture considered surrender a sign of weakness. So, besides the usual handling and a treatment of people who are captured and taken prisoner, the Japanese looked down on combatants who surrendered. And, while officers are normally in charge of POW camps among all nations, it seems that the Japanese didn't want to "waste" officers for POW camps in their home country. Thus, an enlisted man, a corporal, could command such a POW camp.
Quite a number of films were made about POWs and POW camps in WW II - those run by the Germans and Japanese. For a modern made movie about WW II, this is one of the best POW films based on true stories. It ranks with such great films as "Three Came Home" of 1950, "A Town Like Alice" of 1956, and "The Bridge on the River Kwai" of 1957,
Here are some lines from this movie.
Older Peter, "Louie, a moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory - remember that!"
Louis Zamperini, "'I'm gonna kill him." Fitzgerald, "Then they shoot you." Louis, "I don't give a damn. Let them shoot me." Fitzgerald, "That's not how we beat 'em. We beat 'em by making it to the end of the war alive That's how we do t. That's our revenge."
Louis, "If I can take it, I can make it." Fitzgerald, "Precisely!" Louis, "My brother Pete used to say that."
Louis, "He used to think that I was better than I am." Fitzgerald, "Who says you're not?"
The film lightly covers Zamperini's youth from just before his teen years, through his high school and Olympic competition in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. And then, his WW II service as an Army Air Forces bombardier. Considerable time is given to his 47 days of survival on a raft after his plane crashed in the ocean. It was on a rescue mission out of Hawaii on May 27, 1943. The plane had engine failure and went down about 850 miles South of Honolulu. Zamperini and two others of the 11-man crew survived the crash, but one of them died after a month afloat on the ocean. Zamperini floated to the Marhsall Islands where they were captured by the Japanese.
The bulk of the film from then is about Zamperiini's endurance and survival of frequent torture. Zamperini was held in four different POW camps, but the film focuses on his time in the last two in Japan. His camp commander was Corporal and later Sergeant Mutsuhiro Watanabe. After the war, he was listed by General Dougals MacArthur as one of the most notorious war criminals, but he escaped capture.. The Omori POW camp was on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. It was just outside Tokyo in the northeast of the bay, and was connected to the mainland by a bamboo bridge. When Zamperini's prison detail was let outside the prison gates to dump the latrine waste in the bay, Mt. Fuji loomed in the distance. That camp was closed after the American bombing of Tokyo in early March of 1945. Smoke can be seen rising above the city.
The blood-thirsty Watanabe had been promoted and moved to command Naoetsu POW camp. After Tokyo was bombed, the POWs were moved by truck and train to the POW camp which was near the Japan coal fields. So, once again, they were under Watanabe and Zamperini had more torture to endure from him. Less than six months later, the war came to an end.. The film shows Zamperini going to Watanabe's quarters and finding him gone.
Zamperini had been listed as KIA (Killed in Action) the last year of the war, so his survival and return home was a surprise and special celebration among family and his whole hometown of Torance, California.
The focus of this film was the tenacity, resilience, determination and strength of Zamperini to endure and survive all that he did. It also speaks of the tenacity of the Allied POWs overall. There is a notable short scene in which Zamperini promises God that he will serve him if he is allowed to survive, but otherwise the film has no hint of any prayers, faith, or religion by any of the POWs. Zamperini was raised Catholic, and even if he had not been active in his faith before this, it's odd that there are no outward signs of faith by any of the Christians who would make up most of the POWs in these camps. An old adage about war says that there are no atheists in foxholes. Many movies and stories from WW II have mentions or brief scenes of men praying, including in POW camps. I didn't read the book about Zamperini, so I don't know how much it may had any more references to faith among the men.. I found only one drawback with the film and that was the obvious CGI of the plane flying. Perhaps Hollywood will one day find a way to make CGI look more real, but until then, CGI is as much distraction from a story as it is a picture of it.
This is a very well-made movie - from screenplay, to direction, to sets and cast. Jack O'Connell is very good as the hero, and all others give her good performances. This was Angelina Jolie's third film that she directed. The film was shot mostly in Australia.
Perhaps, a little bit of history about WW II and the Japanese may be of interest. The Japanese military culture considered surrender a sign of weakness. So, besides the usual handling and a treatment of people who are captured and taken prisoner, the Japanese looked down on combatants who surrendered. And, while officers are normally in charge of POW camps among all nations, it seems that the Japanese didn't want to "waste" officers for POW camps in their home country. Thus, an enlisted man, a corporal, could command such a POW camp.
Quite a number of films were made about POWs and POW camps in WW II - those run by the Germans and Japanese. For a modern made movie about WW II, this is one of the best POW films based on true stories. It ranks with such great films as "Three Came Home" of 1950, "A Town Like Alice" of 1956, and "The Bridge on the River Kwai" of 1957,
Here are some lines from this movie.
Older Peter, "Louie, a moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory - remember that!"
Louis Zamperini, "'I'm gonna kill him." Fitzgerald, "Then they shoot you." Louis, "I don't give a damn. Let them shoot me." Fitzgerald, "That's not how we beat 'em. We beat 'em by making it to the end of the war alive That's how we do t. That's our revenge."
Louis, "If I can take it, I can make it." Fitzgerald, "Precisely!" Louis, "My brother Pete used to say that."
Louis, "He used to think that I was better than I am." Fitzgerald, "Who says you're not?"