You expected it, and you're halfway right: Unbreakable, M. Night Shyamalan's follow-up to The Sixth Sense is a disappointment. This much can be said, however: It is not the same kind of disappointment that you probably expected. Unbreakable is awful to watch because so much of it is actually good. It's so close to being a remarkable film that it hurts that much more when it doesn't work out.
You might think you're already informed. After all, there's been lots of skepticism and criticism swarming around Unbreakable. There are always heavy expectations laid on a first-time director who makes a blockbuster. People demand something amazing from the sophomore release, and those expectations can be hard to live up to. When Shyamalan cast Sixth Sense star Bruce Willis again, he must have been well aware of what the public was hoping for.
Unbreakable follows David Dunn (Willis), the sole survivor of a monstrous train wreck. Dunn leaves the hospital not only as the sole living passenger of the train, but also without a single cut or bruise - making the movie's title rather unambiguous. Of course, Dunn is struck by an extraordinary case of survivor's guilt. There must be some reason, some meaning, behind the fact that he could walk away from a tragedy that killed so many.
He has problems beyond finding a purpose, though. Dunn's marriage and role as a father are both up in the air, and a job prospect in New York could convince him to leave Philadelphia, leave his slow-paced occupation in university security, and make a fresh start. His on-again, off-again love with his wife Audrey (Robin Wright) and his hopeful friendship with his son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) make Dunn both a flawed and sympathetic character. Willis gets a chance to use his emotional range to its best effect - well, to its best effect since The Sixth Sense.
All of this is fine and great - and reminiscent of the soft-spoken Sixth Sense. However, it is when Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson) appears with his bizarre explanation for Dunn's survival that Unbreakable starts to fray at the edges. Elijah is one of the most breakable people around, suffering from a rare disease that makes his bones fragile and his constitution unbearably weak. At Elijah's prompting, Dunn slowly realizes that he has never been hurt, never been sick, never suffered at all. Elijah sees him as his own antithesis - the strong man who makes up for his weakness - and has a most curious explanation of Dunn's unwitting destiny.
To answer a question that's been posed, no, Dunn is not supposed to be the Messiah. Rest assured, though, that Elijah's explanation could hardly be less appropriate than it is - even in the context of the film, it seems laughable. Herein lies the great flaw of Unbreakable - it's hard to tell whether Shyamalan wants the audience to laugh or not, and so it's hard to take the movie seriously as a drama or a quasi-satire. Expect nervous laughter, expect to be uncomfortable, but don't expect to be pleased.
The performances are painfully good. These are excellent actors in interesting roles with a cleverly written script, that unfortunately asks too much of the audience for its main premise. Willis continues, for better or for worse, to move past his Die Hard glory-days with a calm, intense performance. Robin Wright's vulnerable, hopeful efforts at reconciliation with Willis could make any married man cringe, and Spencer Treat Clark's Joseph is clearly torn in his loyalties between the two parents. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson rarely puts in a poor performance, and nothing goes wrong here. Elijah is both threatening and earnest in his desire to convince Dunn of what has happened.
Technically, the film works wonderfully on many levels. The cinematography can be quite clever, with sliding angles and careful lighting that direct the viewer's eye unerringly. Shyamalan also proves (again) his ability to make a quiet, unthreatening scene terrifying. The tension that builds in each scene has little to do with what is happening, and much more to do with the way it is filmed.
Even the costumes attract attention. Elijah's slick, shimmering coat with its purple lining keeps drawing the viewer's eye. He would stand out in any crowd, and you can't help but consider him remarkable, and at times rather threatening. Dunn appears in various uniforms, suits, and athletic gear, but he is in his element in his full-length security poncho. He glides out of the rain, through hallways, and across the screen like a messenger or an angel of death. For a hero, Dunn can make a quiet, menacing figure - thanks in no small part, again, to Shyamalan's careful work.
So much goes right, and yet it can't outweigh the conceptual flaw of the film. There isn't anything that could make up for Elijah's spin on the story. It is simply too much. Without giving too much away, understand that Shyamalan has taken a campy concept and elevated it too high. More frivolous films - especially of the cheaper action variety - could get away with some of the devices used in Unbreakable. Marketed, filmed, and delivered as a serious film, however, it doesn't fly.
Rather than simply rehashing his original hit, Shyamalan has sprung off into a rather different vein, while still holding onto what, besides the surprise ending, made The Sixth Sense so powerful. Unbreakable has the same thoughtful pacing and precise cinematography that are apparent watermarks of Shyamalan's work, as well as similarly well-chosen work by Willis. It's all so well done, in fact, that you desperately wish you could like it.
Despite everything it does right, Unbreakable is too uneven and too muddled to get enthusiastic about. Go ahead and see it if you want - you may have a great discussion about it later, but you'll spend the entire ride home unsuccessfully trying to convince yourself that you enjoyed it.
