UNBREAKABLE stars Bruce Willis as David Dunne, a Philadelphia security guard and the sole survivor of a disasterous train wreck. Not only is David still alive after the crash--he's completely unharmed. After this miraculous incident, he's contacted by the mysterious Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a dealer of comic book art who seems to have the opposite physicality--his bones tend to snap like twigs. As Elijah attempts to help the reluctant hero realize his superhuman potential, David tries to make amends with his estranged wife (Robin Wright Penn) and son (Spencer Treat Clark).
Following the runaway success of THE SIXTH SENSE, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan once again teams up with Willis for another bleak supernatural tale with a surprising finale. Although Willis and Jackson are excellent in their roles, the highlights of the film are Eduardo Serra's cinematography and Shyamalan's direction, which are eerily atmospheric and inventive--in certain sequences, for example, entire scenes are shot as reflections on glass. UNBREAKABLE is a superhero film at heart, but Shyamalan's somber aesthetic transforms it into something far more intriguing.
Theatrical release: November 22, 2000.
Filmed on location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan makes an appearance in the film as the drug dealer in the stadium.
Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson also star together in DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE. In addition, the two actors both appear in PULP FICTION, though they're never on screen at the same time. And oddly enough, both are in National Lampoon's LOADED WEAPON 1.
Spencer Treat Clark also appears in another hit film of 2000: GLADIATOR.
James Newton Howard also composed the score for THE SIXTH SENSE and more than 75 other films, including PRIMAL FEAR, THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, and STIR OF ECHOES.
The song "Battle" by the British band Blur is featured in some of the film's trailers.
Paul Tatara of cnn.com voted UNBREAKABLE one of the top ten movies of 2000.
Excerpt: "Why are you looking at me like that?"--David Dunne (Bruce Willis) to an emergency room doctor
"One--because it seems you are the only survivor of this train wreck. And two--you don't have a scratch on you."--Emergency room doctor
"Are you ready for the truth?"--Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) to David
Blu-ray Disc Features:
Widescreen
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English
Art Director
Steve Arnold: American art director
Director of Photography
Eduardo Serra: Director of Photography
Executive Producer
Gary Barber: Executive Producer
Executive Producer
Roger Birnbaum: Producer/Executive
Production Designer
Larry Fulton:
Costume Designer
Joanna Johnston: Costume Designer, THE POLAR EXPRESS (2004)
Review 1:
"...UNBREAKABLE [shows] Mr. Shyamalan's remarkable growth as a director....This is a superhero comic rendered as a haiku....Mr. Willis has the charisma to hold an audience....Mr. Jackson does wonders with [his] role..."
Source: New York Times
pp.E1-17 11/22/2000
Review 2:
"...All is revealed with a stealth that makes UNBREAKABLE the kind of movie that's talked about well after the credits roll..."
Source: Box Office
p.65 01/01/2001
Review 3:
"...Somberly fantastic....Jackson gives a delicate and haunted performance." -- Rating: B+
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.51 01/05/2001
Review 4:
"...Intriguing....UNBREAKABLE is likely to surprise you....Jackson is suitably uncanny..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Total Film
p.76-7 2/01/2001
Review 5:
"...Unforgettable suspense sequences..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.54-5 02/01/2001
Review 6:
"...As quietly intriguing as THE SIXTH SENSE....An uncommonly absorbing movie..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.52 11/22/2000