Unbreakable [DVD]

DVD was new and came wrapped in plastic. It was a good price and it worked with no issues unlike other DVD’s I’ve bought from Amazon.

It's a good movie

Enjoyed the entire movie

I don't understand why "Unbreakable", M. Night Shymalan's second film is not more widely praised. "The Sixth Sense" is a hard act to follow, but "Unbreakable" is a remarkably good film and one of my favorites.If you look at the career of Shyamalan, the similarities to the career of Orson Welles are remarkable. Each started off with a bang, creating truly memorable films. Granted, "The Sixth Sense" is no "Citizen Kane", but both are remarkable in their own rites. Then each made a second film which was good, but flawed. In Welles case, this may have been the result of studio tampering. After that, each subsequent film has been less successful, less interesting, and less memorable. Welles will always be remembered for his masterful first film, and some flawed but interesting work throughout his career, "The Lady from Shanghai" stands out as a good example. It is far too early to tell if Shyamalan will suffer the same fate, but after the disastrous "The Village" and the mediocre "Lady in the Water", it doesn't look promising for the former wunderkind.David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a security guard at a college football stadium in Philadelphia, travels home from New York on the train. As he flirts with a woman and contemplates how well his interview went, he begins to notice something is wrong. Then the train crashes. David is the only survivor and he doesn't have a cut on him. His wife, Audrey (Robin Wright Penn) and son, Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), are overjoyed to see him when he is released from the hospital. Soon, David receives an invitation from Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), the owner of a rare comic book store called "Limited Edition", to come and visit. Elijah has a rare disease making his bones brittle. When he was born, his legs and arms were broken during delivery. Elijah is convinced that David has superpowers, but David is dubious. Soon, he begins to wonder and puts himself to various tests."Unbreakable" is a very intelligent, well made movie about the myth of superheroes. I think the film may have been a little ahead of its time. Shortly after the film's release, Michael Chabon published "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and suddenly there were many projects examining the origin of myth and superheroes, giving the ideas entertaining twists and fictionalized roots. So why didn't "Unbreakable" catch on? I'm not sure. Perhaps the film's approach is too cerebral, rooting everything too much in the real world. People may have been disappointed because David never really takes on a super hero persona. It happens in stages, in a more subtle way.There are many layers to every character, giving them depth and interest, making it a joy to watch them. David is a minimum wage security guard struggling with his relationship with his wife and child. He is trying to get a better job, to make things easier for them, to ease the strain on the family. The train accident leaves him shell shocked, but he doesn't give it much thought. Then, when he meets Elijah, he naturally discounts the strange man's theories. But Elijah has many facets as well. He sells rare comic books and comic book art, something that kept him going through his lonely childhood. But he won't sell the prized possessions to just anyone. He is far too attached to the pieces for that, they have to be able to appreciate the work they are about to purchase. If he doesn't believe they will, he doesn't sell it. He is obsessed with all things `comic book'. As he grows older, he becomes convinced that there are real super heroes out in the world and scans newspaper stories and newscasts for stories about survivors. Then David appears, in his own hometown, and he is sure.This is one of Bruce Willis' best performances to date. As David, he is a quiet man, unsure of his status in life at any point. Then, as he begins to question why he survived this train wreck, when no one else did, he becomes even more skeptical. As he deals with these questions, he still has to deal with the problems most people have; his strained relationship with his wife (they sleep in different rooms), his son, work, money and more. As he slowly becomes convinced of Elijah's theories, he sets small tasks for himself; he bench presses huge amounts of weight, as his son watches with admiration, he can see or sense things about people just by touching them, he looks for people to help. At one point, he decides the idea is just too ludicrous and completely discounts it, causing Joseph to become confused. Joseph is so sure his dad has superpowers that he sets a test of his own. This is a very emotional scene because everyone is scared. When Joseph presents the challenge, David is scared that he may just be a regular human and will die. So he yells at his son, his wife yells at their son, finally getting him to stop.We meet Elijah, right after he is born, and learn of his condition. Later, as a young boy we learn of his loneliness. He doesn't like to go outside, to play, because he always breaks a bone and that causes him pain. Then, as an adult, Samuel L. Jackson takes over the role; walking with a glass cane, wearing predominantly purple clothes, Elijah is a memorable presence. At one point, he chases a man David stopped, to see if he is actually has an item that David saw, providing more evidence of the security guard's powers. Chasing the man, on his fragile legs, he trips and crashes down some stairs. In the next scene, David meets Elijah who is now in a wheelchair, his legs broken and immobilized to help them to heal. Elijah is even more determined to prove David has unusual powers, but David is even more reluctant. As the two characters continue to exchange ideas and thoughts, we realize there is something going on, below the surface that we can't quite identify. Something that is driving both of them.Shyamalan does a masterful job with much of the film, letting scenes play out, letting them go to places we might not expect. There are many scenes involving David and his family and many may ask why it is necessary to have to watch this. Let's get to the superhero flying. These scenes add texture and back-story to the characters. Because we know David is having trouble with his family, we understand why he is reluctant to immediately jump into the role of superhero. He doesn't want any harm to come to them. Also, he is just learning about the whole thing, we are watching the birth of the character. As he deals with his job, we learn about events in his past, revealing a lifelong reticence to create or attract attention.One particularly impressive scene happens late in the film. Almost convinced, David sets out to prove that he has some powers. With Elijah's guidance, he goes to Grand Central Station and walks slowly through the crowds of people. As he has just left work, and it is raining, he still wears his Security poncho, his cape. As he brushes against people, he is able to sense something about them; he is looking for someone to help, to save. One teenager participated in an assault, throwing a bottle at two African American couples from a passing car, injuring one of the women. Another college student took advantage of a drunken co-ed in his dorm and he now returns home to mom and dad. Then David finds him; brushing against a maintenance worker, he gets a vision of the man invading a home and causing all forms of havoc. This is David's test. He follows the man to his new home and quickly assesses the situation before setting about his task. This scene is masterful because it contains almost no dialogue, yet we always understand what is going on. It is also suspenseful and well done.Perhaps even better, is the next scene in which David reveals to his son what happened the night before. Joseph starts to cry because he is both proud of his Dad and happy to see that he was right.Shyamalan also introduces us to Elijah very early and lets us see some key moments in his life, developing the character even further. The obsession with comic books, his belief in human super heroes, and his disease will all make sense in the end.All that said, the film is available as part of a two DVD set. The second DVD has a wealth of extras, including a documentary narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and many more standard extras hosted by the director, `making of' documentaries, creation of technical aspects, etc. But the packaging is some of the worst I have ever seen. The film is packaged in a cardboard sleeve, which is encased in a cardboard slip cover. Because of this, the box was partially smashed when I received it. Removing the plastic and the security tags yanked off a large chunk of the cover art. The security sticker was stuck directly to the cardboard and the cover art. The package is completely ruined because of this. This damage could've been avoided by using the regular plastic holders 99% of DVDs are packaged in."Unbreakable" is a film I think about often. The performances are powerful, the story is interesting and believable and the production values are top notch. You should give it a try.

i really loved this movie

Great movie full of twists and suspenseful parts.

I own it on DVD but wanted to be able to watch in on the go.

Glass & split is better tho.

Contiene audio y subtítulos en inglés y español

Great movie

Thriller sottovalutato dal plot twist finale eccezionale. Bello come gli altri primi film di Shyamalan. Prima che perdesse l'ispirazione e girasse film veramente brutti.

Heb de dvd nooit gekregen,is nml ergens in Frankrijk terecht gekomen,maar daar kan(kon) Amazon ook niets aan doen,wel geld terug gekregen

Ich mag "Unbreakable - Unzerbrechlich" noch lieber als Shyamalans Vorgänger "The Sixth Sense", mit dem der indischstämmige Filmemacher im Jahr 1999 einen Megaerfolg landen konnte. Ein überraschender Erfolg durch das überraschende Ende, dass auch durch die einhellig positive Mundpropaganda "ich kann dir nichts verraten, aber der Schluß ist genial" fette 672 Millionen Dollar Einspielergebnis erringen konnte. Im Grunde war wohl Shyamalan von dieser genialen zündenden Idee selbst so begeistert, dass er seinen Nachfolger ganz ähnlich konzipiert hat. Mit Bruce Willis gewann er noch einmal den gleichen Hauptdarsteller und auch "Unbreakable" verfügt über einen echten "Wow" Plot am Ende. Nur ist der Film wesentlich vielschichtiger und greift verschiedene Themen wie "Identitätssuche", "Vater-Sohn Konflikt", oder "Abwehr/Regression" und verwebt dies alles in den Deckmantel eines düsteren Films über die Liebe zu den "Comics". Und statt auf die Gesetze dieser Comicverfilmungen zurückzugreifen, inszeniert M. Night Shyamalan seine Geschichte total entgegengesetzt. Er behält auch als Stil seine in "The Sixth Sense" lethargische und beinahe schon schwer depressive Grundstimmung bei. Es gelingt ihm mit all diesen Zutaten einen sehr aussergewöhnlichen, ganz eigenständigen Mysterythriller zu entwerfen, der völlig ohne Vorbilder auskommt. Man muss sich allerdings auf einen eher destruktiven Film gefasst machen. Dabei wird die Geschichte vom Zusammentreffen zweier Hauptfiguren erzählt, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten. Zum einem handelt der Film von diesem sonderbaren Mr. Glas (Samuel L. Jackson), der eigentlich Elijah Price heißt und seit seiner Geburt an einer schweren Knochenkrankheit, der Osteogenesis imperfecta, leidet. Durch diesen Defekt, der die Knochen zerbrechlich wie Glas gemacht hat, war ein ganz normales Leben nie möglich. Aber Prices Mom brachte es immerhin fertig, dass der kleine Junge nicht an seinem Schicksal zugrunde ging und zu leben versuchte. Geködert hat sie ihn mit dem Geschenk von Comics, die dann bis ins Erwachsenenalter seine Leidenschaft wurden. Er wird nicht nur zum Sammler der Comics, sondern besitzt auch eine gut gehende Kunstgalerie, wo er Originalzeichnungen von Comics verkauft. Price ist von dem Ziel besessen sein Gegentel zu finden. Denn wenn es Menschen mit Knochen, die wie Glas zerbrechen gibt, muss es auch Menschen geben, deren Knochen besonders widerstandsfähig sein müssten und die dadurch eine unbesiegbare Starke in sich tragen müssten, von denen sie möglicherweise nicht mal die leiseste Ahnung haben. Und einer dieser Menschen könnte vielleicht der introvertierte, etwas depressive David Dunn (Bruce Willis) sein, der als Einziger von 131 Insassen ein Zugunglück ohne Verletzung überlebt. Der stille David arbeitet seit Jahren beim Sicherheitsdienst eines Footballstadions, ist verheiratet mit Audrey (Robin Wright Penn). Das Paar hat einen Sohn namens Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark). Dieser Junge befindet sich in der Pubertät und auch auf ihn wirkt der Vater körperlich extrem stark, aber emotional eher unnahbar und tatsächlich versteckt David sein schwach ausgeprägtes Ich-Bild. Mit der Bekanntschaft von Eliah Price kommt die Pathologie, aber auch die Stärke beider Männer zum Vorschein...dies alles wurde von Shyamalan sehr faszinierend verfilmt. Die Geschichte ist durchweg von großer Düsterness geprägt und löst sich erst am Ende durch die Offenbarung der bösen Anteile auf und zeigt so etwas wie eine Erlösung des vorher gezeigten Dilemmas auf. Eine Art Befreiungsschlag für das Schicksal von David, dessen Identitätssuche das eigentliche Hauptthema des Films ist. Einerseits sieht er sich damit konfronitert ein verkannter Superheld zu sein, der eigentlich nur in Comics vorkommen kann, andererseits erkennt er auch seine größte Lebenslüge, die ihn zu einem unglücklichen Menschen gemacht hat. Als er auf Empfehlung von Elijah tatsächlich seine Fähigkeiten als Superman auslebt, findet er einen Hauch vom inneren Frieden, den er so notwendig braucht - wie auch seine Familie, die unter seiner Depression und seiner Gefühlskälte leiden. Dem Sohn verweigerte er sich auch als Identifikationsfigur, durch die Entdeckung seiner unnatürlichen Kraft wird er für diesen fast so wie eine gottähnliche Figur, die unsterblich ist. Daraus folgt eine der dramatischen Szenen des Films, in der Joseph den Vater mit einer Pistole bedroht und auch schießen will, da er überzeugt ist, dass die totbringende Kugel dem "unbekannten" Vater nichts anhaben kann. Mir gefällt diese Verbindung von cooler Comicwelt mit dieser morbiden Begegnung von zwei Menschen, die beide - genau wie Eliah erwähnte - die Prototypen jedes Comics sein. Der Held und sein Gegenspieler. Die Geschichte dieser beiden Figuren wird von Shymalan beinahe schon wie eine griechische Tragödie inszeniert, der Weg zur Erkenntnis gestaltet sich als extrem morbide und am Ende erfüllt sich das Gesetz genau so wie das Gesetz des Comics es vorsieht.Die Genreeinteilung von "Unbreakable" ist nicht einfach. Es ist keine Comicverfilmung ala Batman oder Superman, aber dafür ein Film, der sich auch als Liebeserklärung an das "Comic" heft herausstellt. Für einen Actionfilm ist er fast zu langsam erzählt und selbst die wenigen Actionszenen sind genretypisch - eher sogar eine Art Gegenentwurf. Am ehesten lässt sich die gewagte Mischung aus Comicfilm, Melodram, Thriller und Horror als ein atmosphärisch unheimlicher und bedrohlicher Mysterythriller einstufen.