Unbroken (2014)
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An American Olympian's harrowing journey of survival and resilience as a prisoner of war during World War II.
The story
Louis "Louie" Zamperini is a bombardier in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After his B-24 Liberator is hit by enemy fire, he and two others are the only survivors of a crash into the ocean. They spend 47 days adrift on rafts before being captured by the Japanese. Captured and sent to a series of prisoner of war camps, Zamperini must endure grueling conditions and the harsh treatment of his captors, including the sadistic Mutsuhiro Watanabe, while attempting to maintain his resolve and protect the information of his country.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Louis "Louie" Zamperini, a former Olympian, serves as a bombardier in World War II. After his plane is hit by enemy fire, he and two others survive a crash into the ocean, drifting on rafts for 47 days before being captured by Japanese forces. They are sent to prisoner of war camps where Zamperini is subjected to brutal treatment by a sadistic commander, Mutsuhiro Watanabe. Despite being beaten and forced to perform grueling labor, Zamperini remains defiant. After years of captivity, the prisoners are liberated as the Americans occupy Japan. The film concludes with a look at the post-war lives of the characters, showing Zamperini's return to his family and his eventual peace, while Watanabe remains in hiding to evade prosecution.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 138
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Angelina Jolie
- Writers
- Joel Coen · screenplay; Ethan Coen · screenplay; Richard LaGravenese · screenplay; William Nicholson · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jack O'Connell · Capt. Louis 'Louie' Zamperini; Domhnall Gleeson · Lt. Russell 'Phil' Phillips; Garrett Hedlund · Lt. Cmdr. John Fitzgerald; Miyavi · Sgt. Mutsuhiro 'The Bird' Watanabe; Finn Wittrock · T-3 S/Sgt. Francis 'Mac' McNamara; Jai Courtney · Lt. Charlton Hugh 'Cup' Cupernell; Luke Treadaway · Miller; Spencer Lofranco · Harry Brooks
- Genres
- war drama; biographical drama
- Themes
- survival; resilience
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; intense
- Premise and plot tags
- war; biography; survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2010) by Laura Hillenbrand
- Franchise connections
- Unbroken
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, though praise was given to O'Connell's performance and Deakins's cinematography. It was a financial success, grossing $163 million worldwide.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 53% · scale: percentage · review count: 230; Metacritic · score: 59 · scale: 100 · review count: 48
- Awards and nominations
- Standing Ovation · SAG Nominating Committee · win
- Production trivia
- The film was followed by a less successful sequel in 2018.; The film was released in Japan in 2016 on a smaller scale than originally intended.; The film was one of the four widely released films on December 25, 2014.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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