Unbreakable is a 2000 film written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie was inspired by the world of comic books and its interest in exploring mythic dimensions of the real world.[citation needed]
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Origins
In a DVD bonus feature, Shyamalan noted that the film's script originally had a comic book's traditional three-part structure (the superhero's "birth", his or her struggles against general evil-doers, and the superhero's ultimate battle against the "arch enemy"). Finding the "birth" section more interesting than the remainder, he decided to base the entire movie around the idea.[citation needed]
Plot
Elijah Price (Jackson) is born with Type I osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disease in which the bones lack collagen of sufficient quality and/or quantity, and break very easily. He is even born with broken bones, as shown in the first scene of the movie, and later receives the nickname "Mr. Glass" due to his fragility. He lives his life searching for a reason for his own existence. Early on in the movie it is shown that his mother tried to encourage him to go outside by placing gifts (in the form of comic books) on a park bench opposite their house. Drawing on what he reads in those comic books, Price theorizes that if he is at one extreme end of the spectrum, then perhaps there is somebody at the other end, someone with greater than usual strengths.
Security guard David Dunn (Willis) is also searching for a meaning to his life. He gives up a promising American football career to be with Audrey, the girl he loved, but after their marriage and the birth of a son Joseph, he still feels an emptiness—that something is missing. It is revealed that he and Audrey are undergoing marriage counseling sessions, as both are still troubled about their nuptials and an accident in the past. After surviving a massive train wreck that kills 131 people (unharmed and as the only survivor), he is contacted by Price, who proposes to a disbelieving Dunn that he is, in fact, a modern day "superhero" (although the word is never used through the course of the film, except when referring to actual comic-book characters). When David tries to ignore Elijah's theory, the dealer interferes with his family life by repeatedly stalking David and his wife, trying to get David to listen to him. David's son, Joseph, is convinced that what Elijah says is true, but Audrey believes that Elijah has severe mental problems, due to his long-term disability.
After much distress in his family, David finally agrees to hear Price out. Elijah believes that comic book heroes are an echo, mimicking prehistoric stories of human beings who truly had greater-than-normal strength and abilities. Elijah believes that Dunn is supernatural. However, there are several instances where he seems to have been harmed. In elementary school, he nearly drowned. Another incident was when he nearly lost Audrey in a car wreck. David turned down football after the accident due to Audrey's disapproval, citing an injury. Price claims that possibility of drowning is simply the exception to his powers for every superhero has a weakness. Under Elijah's verbal influence, Dunn practices and develops his hyper advanced instinct, which reveals to him the immoral acts of those around him upon any physical touch. While lifting weights with his son, he discovers that—with effort—his physical strength has no real limitation.
As Dunn begins to understand his purpose in the world, he is able to renew his relationship with his wife and his son. Then comes his epiphany—he remembers the accident in detail. He was unharmed after being thrown free of the vehicle—and, when he realized Audrey was still trapped inside, he tore the door off with his bare hands. Afterward, he faked the injury and stopped playing football to remain with Audrey, who was disturbed by the violence of the sport.
This leads to David's first "heroic act." At Elijah's suggestion, David walks through crowds in a Philadelphia train station, and his instinct is now in full effect—he witnesses many shameful acts he can do nothing about: a hate crime, an alcohol-assisted rape. Finally, his 'second sight' shows him something he can act upon-a janitor he has passed broke into someone's house and killed them. David follows the janitor back to the victim's house, where he finds the dead man. Upstairs, he releases the two tied-up children, and finds the mother in a separate room, apparently unconscious. David is ambushed by the man, who throws David onto a tarp lying on top of a pool. The tarp begins to fall into the pool, exposing David to his weakness, water, and nearly killing him. At the last moment, he was pulled up by the children that he just saved. David then confronts the serial killer in a scene that proves once and for all David's superhuman abilities: despite his opponent's being of superior size and strong enough to break walls, he is able to throttle him into unconsciousness with little difficulty. He then releases the mother, only to find that she was already dead. The next morning, David shows the newspaper article of his heroic act to his son, who believed in him all along.
In the final moments of the film, David attends an exhibition at Elijah's Limited Edition art gallery. David shakes Elijah's hand and discovers to his horror that Price has caused several terrible disasters, including the train accident that David was in, just to find someone who would miraculously survive as David did. Price insists to Dunn that he performed these deeds, and they are justified by finding him. He then explains that he has come to realize his purpose in life by finding David: Elijah is the villain to David's hero. David leaves Elijah, and captions run, saying that David informed the police about Elijah and he was arrested and sent to an institute for the criminally insane.
Deleted Scenes
- The carnival scenes (in a deleted scene) were shot at Sharswood School in South Philadelphia.[citation needed]
- In another deleted scene, Dunn tests his strength a second time. Slipping unnoticed into the locker room of the football stadium (while the players are changing) he uses the athletic equipment to bench press roughly five hundred pounds while the players look on in awe. This scene was deemed superfluous by Shyamalan as he had already established Dunn's superhuman strength in an earlier scene.
- A deleted scene had a conversation between David and a priest which elaborates on the disasters that the city has recently experienced. The priest has lost every member of his family in these incidents, and is enraged at David's suggestion that something is special about him in particular.
Trivia
- This is the third movie that Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson have worked on together. The first was Pulp Fiction, and the second, Die Hard with a Vengeance.
- Like in his other movies, M. Night Shyamalan makes a cameo appearance. Here Shyamalan plays a man who David suspects of dealing drugs inside the university stadium where David works.
- The stadium where Bruce Willis' character works as a security guard was filmed in University City at the historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Glass' infamous fall down the train steps occurs at the nearby SEPTA University City train station on the Spruce Street entrance.[citation needed]
- In his debut song, "Through the Wire," Kanye West refers to the film in a line in the second verse: "Unbreakable, what you thought they called me Mr. Glass?" Shyamalan included the song on his iTunes celebrity playlist, saying that he and his kids cheer at the line referencing the film.[citation needed]
- The film is listed on the MySpace tie-in page of Claire Bennet, the indestructible cheerleader character on NBC's Heroes.
- Despite being "unbreakable", David Dunn has a scar above his left eye. This scar is Bruce Willis' and was not covered up.[citation needed]
- In the pilot episode of Kenny Vs. Spenny "Who can gain more weight" Spenny gave away the ending of Unbreakable to people waiting in line to go in.[citation needed]
- Like with many films made by M. Night Shyamalan, color plays an important part in the film. According to DVD bonus features, green was selected as David's color, while purple represents Elijah. (David's poncho is green, and Elijah wears purple in the majority of the scenes he is in.) Samuel L. Jackson apparently made the suggestion himself that Elijah's color be purple, feeling the character had a "regal" quality to him (Jackson also suggested his character in Star Wars should have a purple lightsaber). Also, the film's "minor" villain is identified chiefly through his bright orange clothing.[citation needed]
- The comic books in the movie are all fictional, save for the shots of various Spider-Man and Thor comics in the comic book store and in Elijah's personal collection.
- The movie itself, as revealed in the extra features, was filmed "like a comic book". For instance, the first scene you meet David Dunn, he is "framed" by the seats in front of him.
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