While there are many tales of horror, courage and blind luck when it comes to WWII, few seem as incredible as that of Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), the former US Olympic runner who faced immense and unrelenting challenges, yet survived.
By Keeva Stratton
Zamperini, we learn, began his life as an Italian immigrant in America, contending with bullies and his own boyish desire to test authority. He discovered early the benefits of being able to run faster than his tormentors. Eventually, this running would win him acceptance amongst his school peers as part of the track team, and see him perform well above expectations as a young teen representing America at the Berlin games.
Zamperini set his sights on the Tokyo Olympics four years later, but what he did not know then was that his journey to Tokyo would not be part of an Olympic campaign. Rather, it would be as a soldier in a relentless, unforgiving and brutal war.
His life as a soldier starts out well enough, but when a rescue mission goes sour, he soon finds he is the one needing to be rescued. Only, nobody comes.
Left on a raft with two others for an incredible length of time, they battle the weather, their hunger and thirst, to remain alive, only to fall into the hands of the enemy.
In Japan as a prisoner of war, Zamperini’s fame as an Olympian sees him belittled and subject to more intense treatment than his fellow prisoners. But, it is his ability to endure the most testing conditions and torture—no doubt forged from his days training for the Olympics—that also gives him a greater mental and physical resilience.
Zamperini’s is a remarkable story in every sense, made even more powerful by its subject (who sadly passed just following the film’s completion). While much of the talk of this film will revolve around its director, Angelina Jolie, and some local interest will be spurred by the production having been filmed across a range of Australian locations—it deserves to be talked about for its contribution to the genre.
Unbroken is as heartbreaking and horrifying as a war film should be. While it celebrates the human spirit, it does so largely without glorification. Jolie’s sensitivity to her human subject and the wider context of a global tragedy is to be applauded. Throughout this film, you cannot help but wonder how and why humankind ever came to be so unkind to each other.
Jack O’Connell’s performance drives the character over a significant length of screen time, and Domhnall Gleeson and Takamasa Ishihara, who play the loyal companion and fierce enemy, are able supports.
Personally, I feel a war film that leaves you deeply saddened has done its job. In Unbroken the sadness is palpable, as in the same way the journey is harrowing. It’s a remarkable tale of survival, and a timely reminder of the personal sacrifices borne of one of history’s most tragic and dark times.
Directed by: Angelina Jolie
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Jai Courtney
Rating: TBC
Runtime: 137mins
Release Date: January 15
Reviewer rating: 4/5
