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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW SOU launches 89th graduating class ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: How we treat animals ... Overcoming the odds ... SOU launches 89th graduating class ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: How we treat animals ... Overcoming the odds ... MOVIE REVIEW 'Unbroken' is an intense, moving character study Comment By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Jan. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Jan. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Unbroken, 2 hrs 17 min, Rated PG-13 The newly released film “Unbroken,” based on Lauren Hillenbrand’s 2010 best-selling book titled “Unbroken: A Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,” has generated much critical buzz. Hillenbrand is also the author of the acclaimed “Seabiscuit.” Director Angelina Jolie has created a film that closely tracks the first 25 years of an extraordinary individual, Louis Zamperini. In essence, it’s an intense and moving film that’s an almost unbearable character study. “Unbroken” opens with Louis (Jack O’Connell), an Army Air Corps bombardier, hunched over a Norden bombsight, on a mission over Japan. Through a series of seamless flashbacks, while gazing out at the distant horizon, he reflects on his early years as a young hell-raiser whose salvation was the discovery that he could run like the wind, an ability that resulted in his being selected for the 1936 U.S. Olympic track team. This backstory proves a relevant and an engaging part of Louis’ history. A search and rescue mission over the Pacific, one ending in a deadly crash (the plane breaks down mechanically), sets up a protracted second act that comprises the bulk of the film. Louis and one other survivor of the Pacific ditching, pilot Russell “Phil” Phillips (Domhnall Gleeson), drift on a raft for 47 days, until finally, regrettably, they are rescued by the Japanese. He and Phil spend more than two years in a POW camp, Louis selected for special torment and punishment by a sadistic, unbalanced guard named “The Bird” (Takamasa Ishihara). What Louis survives is torture beyond all endurance, his body and will tested, prompting him to recall an aphorism repeated by his brother Pete (Alex Russell) while Louis trained for the Olympics: “If you can take it, you can make it.” But because the story of Louis Zamperini, as told by Jolie and her stable of writers, is one of survival against impossible odds, the film’s externality becomes its harrowing focus. What is revealed about Louis’ strength of character as he faces the unrelenting Bird is told with a gripping and moving clarity. What is disclosed about him as a complex character remains by necessity secondary. That is both the strength and the weakness of “Unbroken,” requiring a quick wrap, of sorts, at the film’s end. Still, this film, Jolie’s second directorial effort, is well worth finding, as is the book, which was all but impossible to compress into 137 minutes. “Unbroken” will not disappoint.     By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Jan. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501