Unbreakable (2000)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, Eamonn Walker, Leslie Stefanson, Elizabeth Lawrence. [PG-13]

After surviving a train derailment that kills all other passengers but leaves him without even a scratch, security guard Willis is contacted by comic book-obsessed art dealer Jackson, a fragile man with brittle bones who believes he’s found his opposite in Willis—a man who is “unbreakable.” Introspective, slowly-unfolding deconstruction of superhero mythos, driven by Willis’ surprisingly subtle performance and Jackson’s brooding determination and simmering anger. Shyamalan’s coldly observant psychological horror approach doesn’t serve the material as well here as it did with his last picture (The Sixth Sense), and some scenes simply don’t work (a kitchen confrontation with a loaded firearm, the abrupt arrival of an “evil” that Willis must defeat, etc.), but the ambitions and willingness to subvert expectations of what kind of story it is are admirable. Benefits from Dylan Tichenor’s cogent editing between the dual storylines, and James Newton Howard’s distinctive music. Shyamalan cameos, and Lawrence died during production; the film is dedicated in her honor.

69/100