Unbreakable (2000)

★ 7.1 1h 46m 9,858 votes IMDb
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An ordinary man makes an extraordinary discovery when a train accident leaves his fellow passengers dead — and him unscathed. The answer to this mystery could lie with the mysterious Elijah Price, a man who suffers from a disease that renders his bones as fragile as glass.

Unbreakable

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Cast

Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis as David Dunn Age 71 · Idar-Oberstein, West Germany [now Germany] Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. His career began on the off-Broadway stage in the 1970s, and he then achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series...
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price Age 77 · Washington, D.C., USA Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grosse...
Robin Wright
Robin Wright as Audrey Dunn Age 60 · Dallas, Texas, USA Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump, as Buttercup in The Princess Bride, and as Mary Surratt in The Conspira...
Spencer Treat Clark
Spencer Treat Clark as Joseph Dunn Age 38 · New York City, New York, USA Spencer Treat Clark (born September 24, 1987) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his roles in the films Gladiator (2000) and Unbreakable (2000). He has since appeared in the films Mystic...
Charlayne Woodard
Charlayne Woodard as Elijah's Mother Age 72 · Albany, New York, USA Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard (born December 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actress. She is a two-time Obie Award winner as well as a Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. Description above fro...
Eamonn Walker
Eamonn Walker as Dr. Mathison Age 63 · London, England, UK Eamonn Roderique Walker is an English film, television, and theatre actor. In the United States, he is known for playing Kareem Saïd in the HBO television series OZ, for which he won a CableACE Award,...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 10/10 Jul 31, 2015
Soon found out had a heart of glass.

It often gets forgotten just what an exciting talent M. Night Shyamalan was during the early part of his film making career. True that Unbreakable, with its deliberate slow pacing and left-field narrative, would (and has) proved to be not everyone's cup-o-tea, but there's a film making craft here, and a genius idea brought to vivid life, that makes a spectrum of film lovers lament how his career nose dived, how his ideas quickly got as stupid as his acting...

Unbreakable challenges the thought process, spinning a story that's of a adult comic book heart, but also of a clinical human examination. The narrative is consistently ambiguous, holding the patient viewers in enthral as the cosmic conundrums come tumbling off of the screen. It's refreshing to find a story like this that is so devoid of cliché, where the wonderfully reflective Bruce Willis and the brilliantly fascinating Samuel L. Jackson feed off each other, their character's destinies superbly steered by cast and director. Unbreakable is a complex movie, but not needlessly so, its strengths are numerous for those of a keen eye and ear. It represents Shyamalan's most clever cinematic offering, to which the sad realisation comes to pass that he would never, as yet, be this smart and vibrant again. 10/10
Gimly 6/10 Feb 06, 2017
Not The Shamhammer's best, but certainly of the era when he was still making "good".

Final rating:★★★ - I personally recommend you give it a go.
Manuel São Bento 10/10 Jan 14, 2019
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What a movie! This is one of the most underrated films out there, and it was unfairly compared to The Sixth Sense at the time the former was released. These are two very different movies, but both of them have a lot of twists, which was what brought fame to Shyamalan's films, especially The Sixth Sense.

Unbreakable follows that same methodology. It has a lot of twists throughout the runtime, and they are quite diverse: some are very technical twists, related to our point of view of a particular scene that, as it progresses, we always find ourselves tricked (these ones, most people either don't catch them or just don't care ... For me, it's proof of brilliant writing); the others are the prominent plot twists, where something unpredictable happens to the overall story.

This movie has all of that and much more. The story itself is incredibly captivating since the main plot holds a lot of mystery and suspense, but these only work as well as they did thanks to Shyamalan, both director and screenwriter. His very unconventional way of storytelling and the anxiety that he's able to convey to some fantastic scenes, elevate the film while delivering a perfect narrative. It's even more mind-blowing the fact that this movie still makes so much sense and it didn't lose its replay value after 17 years!

In fact, I bet it would be a striking success nowadays, where the superhero genre is over-saturated. Each year, we get more and more movies following the excessively used genre's formula that makes almost every blockbuster an instant box office hit. Unbreakable is nowhere near that formula, and I genuinely think that any fan of comic-book films must watch this one so everyone can understand what a "grounded superhero movie" actually means. M. Night Shyamalan wrote a story that everyone can appreciate, without all of those big CGI fights and overwhelming visual effects. Comic-book fan or not, Unbreakable is the closest to what reality would be if superheroes really existed.

Regarding the cast, Bruce Willis probably has his career-best dramatic performance in this film. He's terrific as David and I can feel all of the emotions which he wants to transmit to the screen. Samuel L. Jackson brilliantly plays Elijah, who has a real-life disease which SLJ portrayed beautifully and respectfully. The supporting cast is also worth praising since both Robin Wright (Audrey Dunn) and Spencer Treat Clark (Joseph Dunn) play magnificent roles as the wife and son of David, respectively.

Everyone helped Shyamalan direct exquisite dialogue sequences that extended for minutes without end. The editing and production of this movie are unbelievable ... and it was filmed in 2000! There are so many long, one-take scenes that explain in just a few minutes, everything you need to know about a character or a specific place or event ... Even a full action sequence is filmed in just one-take (the stunt work is also pretty efficient)! The soundtrack is so important, especially in the last act where everything comes to a conclusion. It's inspirational and even epic, I dare calling it. It's just perfect! Throughout the runtime, you can barely notice it due to how subtle it is. However, when it is needed to deliver a new layer of feelings, it always raises the moment.

As discussed above, this is a M. Night Shyamalan film, so a very powerful twist right at the end needs to happen ... and it does. It gives the audience an unpredictable perspective about the whole story. I risk myself in saying that it isn't exactly necessary, but the truth is that it makes sense and it does bring the movie to a whole other level, so very, very well done! Finally, I just wish that this film had been released now. It is so much different than what we are used to watching and experiencing, that I dare to say it is one of the best movies inside this genre.

Once again, Shyamalan shows the audience why was he becoming one of the most popular directors/screenwriters and proves that his rather unconventional storytelling, unpredictable twists and excellent direction are skills to praise more often. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have great chemistry, but the former has his career-best dramatic performance. The editing, production, soundtrack and even the pacing of this film are entirely flawless, as well as the ending twist that leaves us with our jaws dropped. Unbreakable is one of the most underrated superhero movies ever, but it sits way on top as one of my favorites.
Sully7370 9/10 Dec 10, 2024
one of the most underrated masterpieces in cinema history
RalphRahal 8/10 Dec 25, 2024
Unbreakable! What a classic. M. Night Shyamalan really took the superhero genre and flipped it on its head with this one. It's such a slow-burn, introspective take on the idea of "What if superheroes were real, but grounded in reality?"

Bruce Willis as David Dunn is so understated but powerful in his performance. He just exudes this quiet strength, and his journey of self-discovery is handled so well. That scene where he's lifting weights in the basement? Iconic. It’s such a simple moment, but it’s brimming with meaning, like he’s finally starting to believe he might be more than just an ordinary man.

And then there’s Samuel L. Jackson as Elijah Price, or “Mr. Glass.” Talk about a perfectly cast role. He brings this eerie, almost tragic depth to a character who’s obsessed with finding his opposite. The way Shyamalan builds up their dynamic, leading to that twist ending... I mean, come on, it’s such a Shyamalan twist, but it works so perfectly here.

The relationship between David Dunn and his son is one of the most heartfelt aspects of Unbreakable. It’s a quiet exploration of faith and trust between a father and son, with Joseph’s unwavering belief in his dad adding emotional weight to David’s journey. Their bond reflects the film’s deeper themes of self-discovery and the quiet strength found in family, making the story not just about extraordinary abilities, but also about the human connections that ground us. It’s these tender moments that give the film its emotional core, balancing the suspense with genuine heart.

What I love most about Unbreakable is how it plays with the idea of comic book tropes without ever feeling like a comic book movie. The cinematography, those long, deliberate takes, makes everything feel heavy and significant. And James Newton Howard’s score? Chills every time.

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