I managed to keep missing this in theaters, but, being a fan of both DVD and comics, figured I would pick the film up when the DVD release arrived. It unfortunately is a film that people should rent, rather than buy -- the DVD extras really are not that overwhelming, alas, and the movie itself is a well-crafted piece that will befuddle some and bore others.

By now, the plot is pretty well known -- David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is a security guard looking for the way out of his dying marriage. On the way back to Philadelphia to New York, his train derails, and he turns out to be the only survivor -- not a mark on him. Shortly thereafter, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) comes into his life. Elijah, who suffers from a rare disease that makes his bones horribly brittle, has a theory that he and David are opposites -- and that David is a real-life superhero (Elijah runs a comics store, you see, and has been into this all his life.) The movie is about David coming to grips with this, while dealing with his estranged family.

The trouble is that this isn't really a superhero movie as such -- it's a low-key fantasy, a Twilight Zone take on the idea. Forget the science-fiction rationales; writer-producer-director M. Night Shyamalan doesn't bother to make any effort to explain how David's abilities work (or, in fact, how David has ever passed a physical where a blood test was needed -- a serious problem for an invulnerable person.) Aside from his invulnerabilty, David is a little stronger than most, has enhanced perception of some kind, and can pick up your last crime or two if you happen to touch him.

It takes a long time to get to get to the conclusion, and to the actual punchline of the piece -- which is what it is, a twist ending that was unfortunately telegraphed four or five times along the way. Many people have complained that Unbreakable just crashes to a stop -- it does, because the whole movie has been given such an elegant pace to that point that the viewer doesn't expect it to bang to a halt like a fairground ride. It's like watching an Ivory-Merchant movie where the last two minutes were handled by Michael Bay. The ending is also a major downer, indicating that David gives up right then. Oh, thanks....

There are good points, though, including canny casting. I like seeing Bruce Willis playing these low-key brooding roles, and he's well matched with both Robin Wright Penn and Spencer Clark Treat as his wife and son. There is a lot of bitterness and grief in the Dunn household, the source for which no-one understands until Elijah shows up and matters become clear to David ... and to his son, Joshua. Alas, Shyamalan indicates along the way that while Joshua knows his Dad really is something special, Mom is going to be kept in the dark. Bad idea. It isn't as though David is sewing up a new set of work togs and planning on a nighttime career.

The photography is excellent, and Shyamalan's use of extended takes generally works well (sometimes it doesn't, unfortunately.) The slow pace and literate dialogue also provide plenty for the viewer to chew on. James Newton Howard's score is a nicely moody and heavily thematic piece, well suited to the film.

The DVD package is quite nice, with a slip case holding a foldout sleeve containing two discs, a booklet, and a card with two pieces of art by painter Alex Ross. The first disc contains only the movie, with all manner of soundtrack variants, while the second disc has the supplemental materials. These supplements include a lightweight featurette on the film, a less lightweight documentary on comics (which could have been longer and stronger by far), seven deleted scenes with intros from Shyamalan, and a multi-angle comparison between the storyboards and final version of the train station sequence where Willis tests his powers. No trailers, no commentary.

Overall, Unbreakable isn't a waste of time, but it is, alas, very very flawed.

©2001 by Steven E. McDonald