Unbreakable. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, featuring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark, Charlayne Woodard, and Eamonn Walker. Buena Vista Pictures, 2000.
“I almost gave up hope. There were so many times I questioned myself, but I found you. So many sacrifices, just to find you.” - Elijah Price, a.k.a. Mr. Glass
When Unbreakable was first released, it was billed as a thriller. The tone of the film, and the suspenseful nature of the story certainly lend some credit to this idea. But the writer and director, M. Night Shyamalan, preferred to call it “an origin story.” For though the movie keeps its watchers on the edge of their seat, Unbreakable is the story of a man. Such a tale includes all those vital aspects that comprise a life, such as his wife and son, his job and friends, but it focuses on an individual navigating the meaning of his life. In this respect, his journey is something relatable, and the film proves to be excellent fodder for discussions regarding purpose, truth, heroism, and all that is good.
Unbreakable is specifically the story of David Dunn after he survives a train crash outside of Philadelphia. His miraculous survival should be followed up by teary-eyed hugs from loved ones, but instead is met with a kind of sadness that no one can name.1 But the crash does prove to be something of an awakening for David. He continues with his work and his family, kind of going through the motions still, but each day after the crash seems to bring something unexpected. When he attends the memorial for the crash’s victims, he finds a card on his car’s windshield, inviting him to the store of a man named Elijah Price. Elijah, we learn through flashbacks, was born with a rare disease that makes his bones extremely fragile and prone to fracture. He is the opposite of David but thinks he can help Dunn. Elijah accurately notes that David’s life is in shambles, and that this is perhaps because he lives without a purpose. And Elijah thinks he knows David’s purpose, namely, to be a hero to those in need. David insists that he is just “an ordinary guy,” and spends much of the movie trying to understand why he is still alive (and also why he is still sad).
But as David tries to rebuild his marriage and connect with his son, Elijah’s words ring more and more true, until this idea is truly put to the test. Eventually, David decides to live as Elijah suggests, as a man who protects those who cannot protect themselves. The next day, which is a climactic moment in the film, has David and Elijah discussing this new vocation:
Elijah Price: It has begun. Tell me something, David. When you woke up this morning . . . was it still there? The sadness?
David Dunn: No.
There is a lot packed into that little question, “was it still there?” and the rest of conversation turns out to be a critically important moment for the two sequels that came after this movie, Split (2016) and Glass (2019). To say more would be to possibly ruin a classic ending, so I’ll refrain. But the success of Unbreakable as a story absolutely hinges upon the closing few minutes.
The more I’ve watched the film, the more I’m convinced that Dunn’s ordinariness is the actual point in the story, even with the comic book trope lurking in the background almost a decade before Iron Man would breathe life into the MCU. While the powers and the mystery drive some of the plot, the movie is primarily about a husband, a father, who has lost his way and is getting ready to lose his family as a result. But he’s able to overcome all this and reclaim his place in this world, not because he has superpowers, but because he begins fulfilling his telos. Shyamalan is not a Christian, but was educated at Catholic and Episcopal schools here in the U. S., so it is no surprise that he shows familiarity with Christian theology and tropes in his work. Unbreakable stands out in this respect though, as its portrayals of vocation, family responsibility, and sacrificial justice, all pull at threads developed throughout Christian theology. This could be pushed too far, of course, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the scene where David carries his wife upstairs is one of those rare moments when common grace can really be felt in a movie.
As with many Shyamalan films, the movie hangs upon a “twist” that demands rewatching to catch the hints and clues along the way. It is a clever way to bake “rewatching” into a film’s very fabric, and while it is sometimes cliche, Unbreakable always rewards on another viewing. The use of colors, particularly purples and greens, will catch your eyes more each time. The way people notice David becomes noticeable for you, the viewer. Camera angles, flashbacks, the tone of the film, both in terms of visual and audible, work to reflect the emotional mood of David Dunn as he grows into his “origin story.” Whatever complaints might arise about Shyamalan, Unbreakable is some of his very best work.
If I were to give it a name, I would borrow one from Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer: malaise.