Angelina Jolie captures the incredible story of Louis “Louie” Zamperini, a seemingly invincible Olympic distance runner, as his life takes an incredibly unexpected turn in the 2014 war drama Unbroken. The film, starring Jack O’Connell, captures the immensely gut-wrenching and agonizing tribulations Zamperini must face as he finds himself in the hull of a gunship and later a prisoner of war in Japanese territory.
The film adaptation of the critically acclaimed non-fiction novel Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand is just on the brink of removal from Netflix’s collection. And now is the very last moment audiences have to bear witness to the incredible and unbelievably true story. This film has a certain quality often left out of war cinema. It’s not a simplified depiction of “them versus us”; rather, it is a tunnel-vision focus on one man and his unrelenting fortitude and grit.
The story of Louis Zamperini is Impossible to Look Away From
In another life, undoubtedly, Louie would’ve been a household name for his incredible athletic ability. From a young age, he was seemingly born to run from just about everything. First, from the authorities as he ditches a yawn-worthy Sunday service, and later again, from young townies picking on him for being an Italian immigrant. In an attempt to get him out of trouble and to further his already evident skill, his brother trains him, lovingly biking alongside him as he sprints down a gravel road. From humble beginnings to the Olympic track, Louie eventually becomes the “Torrance Tornado” through his perseverance and resolve, two qualities that will soon be the defining foundation for what keeps him alive.
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Both his unlimited potential and quickly growing career are cut short as Zamperini joins WWII as a bombardier. On an unexpected combat mission, Zamperini and a few partners, Phil, played by Domhnall Gleeson, and Finn Witrock as Mac, survive a near-fatal plane crash into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. By the skin of their teeth, they make it just long enough to board a raft where each man is slowly pushed farther and farther toward the brink of death from hunger, dehydration, and heat exhaustion. This moment of desperation feels incredibly visceral, and both the acting and directorial touches from Jolie make these scenes register as resoundingly real. After 47 days of torturous, aimless survival as they float adrift, they brush up against an enormous Japanese militia watercraft, wherein their primary antagonist greets them, forcefully ushering them onto the ship and unknowingly into the following two years of torture.
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In just short of two and a half hours, Jolie captures an entire lifetime. From Louie’s trembling voice as he describes the meal his mother will prepare for Phil and himself when they arrive home, to the sparse laughs shared throughout their unending misery, there is such beauty captured between the cast and their unfurling stories. Films like Unbroken capture a rare but heavily desired quality all humans desperately long to find within themselves: hopeful determination in even the most horrific of circumstances. This movie doesn’t sugar-coat anything. In fact, some scenes are best watched with one eye closed, or wincing behind a hand shield. However, the delightful charm Louie uses as a sort of armor and the unbreakable strength of his spirit make this dreadful story somehow triumphant.
At the time of its release, the audience’s reception of Unbroken was notably warmer than that of critics. While some praised the technical craftsmanship, the harrowing raft scenes, and the undoubtedly strong performances from O’Connell and Gleeson, others felt it was “too respectful”, which, to be frank, is a laughable criticism. This notion may be pointing to the idea that the arch may have felt at times hard to believe, given the horrors of each character’s experience and their continuous perseverance. But this very quality is truly the essence of the film. It’s not a cartoonish, or rose-colored perspective; it’s an accurate retelling of a story that is genuinely difficult to comprehend. Unbroken is leaving Netflix on June 16th, 2026. There are five days left to take a look at the devastating, yet victorious story of Louis Zamperini told through the lens of Jolie’s expert directorial work and O’Connell’s excellent portrayal.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2014
- Runtime
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138 minutes
