The rain is also an overt symbol that fits into the movie's story, brought forth by a remarkably literate script that redefines comic book mythology, bringing it into a realm of reality. Samuel L. Jackson gives a complicated performance in a demanding role, and Bruce Willis expands his range even further into the subdued, even if this performance isn't as nuanced as his work in The Sixth Sense. Robin Wright Penn's involvement is relegated mostly to the B-story; although her character effects the primary plot, it's only in a tangential way. It's not a criticism of the film--it works the way it is--but Penn's performance is one I wish I had seen more of.

M. Night Shyamalan's three major releases, Wide Awake, The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable, are very different works, but there are a few narrative threads that run through all of them. The difficult process of maturation, of coming to grips with a frightening world. Humor in dark times. The value of helping others. For all the frightening images and complicated themes that exist in them, Shyamalan's works are really some of the most positive films in recent memory. Unbreakable investigates the narrative threads in new ways, using an unusual concept--the place of comic book superheroism in the real world--to explore important human issues. The subtly supernatural powers David Dunn has are merely an excuse to let us see how he and his wife relate under stress, to examine an arrogant outcast's view of the world, and to experience the pain of a boy who finally realizes his father is not infallible. That's real, folks, and it's not often that a work touched by the supernatural is also able to be so grounded in real life.

That said, I found this to be a very flawed film, notwithstanding the thought-provoking surprise ending. The acting is wonderful, the casting is brilliant, but the script is flabby. The payoff is mighty, once it gets there, but the film takes too darn long setting it up. I found myself looking at my watch fairly early on, wondering when it would be over, and that clock-watching tedium factor is the ultimate test of a film, for me.

My philosophy of art is simple: the artist's job is to communicate, and if anything, such as tedium, gets in the way and makes the audience not want to listen, then the artist has failed. At least with that particular work.

By contrast, The Sixth Sense kept me rivited to my seat, and I don't recall checking my watch once. Unbreakable is not bad, it just isn't nearly as good as some of the writer/director's other work

RATING

You may get the impression, somehow, that Unbreakable is somewhat artsy, and that may be true. But this is made better by the introduction of the comic book premise--both concepts, art and comic, or comics as art, making the pressure bearable. And once you realize this is a comic film, the artsy approach can even be refreshing--creating a new twist for an old genre.

Willis is as strong as ever, stronger always when he plays a more subtle and less violent guy, and Jackson is refreshingly different from his usual characters. While the movie sometimes seems to drag along a bit, it gives us some interesting perspectives and pictures, and an ending where nothing like that was supposed to happen. Shyamalan seems to like that. And with the rather average-quality movie output of 2000 with not that much highlights, this one definitely belongs to the top 10 movies of its year--with films like this, Shyamalan should become one of the most respected filmmakers of his time. Can't wait to see his next piece.