I was afraid Unbroken,
Angelina Jolie’s second outing behind the camera, would be tacky, maudlin, and
sentimental hokum. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong. The
story of Louis Zamperini was bought by Universal many years ago and finally put
into production after Laura Hillenbrand’s book on the subject became a best
seller. Zamperini was an American Olympic runner who competed in the 5,000
meter run at the 1936 Berlin games and then flew bombing missions over Japan
during WWII. He was shot down over the Pacific, survived for an astounding 45
days adrift on a raft with two other crew from his plane, was picked up by a
Japanese ship and placed in a prison camp where he endured brutal conditions
and regular beatings at the hands of a pettily jealous guard.
