Unbroken

After reading this remarkable book, I knew I had to watch the film. The life of Louis Zamprini--the son of Italian immigrants, who went on to become an Olympic runner, WWII bombardier, POW in several Japanese camps, war hero and eventual survivor of alcoholism and PTSD and would spend the rest of his life serving God and the world--is a life that can never be forgotten. Through prejudice, war, fear, despair and ultimate hope found in redemption, Louis Zamprini remained a champion his whole life.

As a young child Louis Zamprini seemed destined to find himself in some kind of trouble. Whether it was stealing, fighting, smoking, drinking or constantly running from the law, Louis' life is one disaster after another. His immigrant parents despair for the life of their second born son. In Torrence, California during the 1920s, Italians faced immense prejudice (they were the number one target in the eugenics movements that believed the Italian culture should be exterminated) and the Zamprini's have to prove everyday that they are good law abiding citizens. Hard to do when their son seems to have a one way ticket to lifetime imprisonment. 

However, Louis' older brother, Pete doesn't despair or give up. He's sees Louis' natural talent for running and encourages his brother to pursue running in school. Through the years and with Pete's guidance, Louis goes from future degenerate to hometown hero in Torrence. Breaking multiple school records and eventually winning gold in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. 

Louis's immediately starts training for the 1940 Olympics (ironically being held in Japan), but when Pearl Harbor is hit, he is drafted into the military. Louis becomes a brilliant bombardier for the crew of the Green Hornet, but in his off time he still trains and runs. Future Olympic dreams are hard to kill. 

When the Green Hornet is shot down, Louis and two other survivors (Phil and Mac), fight for their lives for 47 days on the the Pacific ocean. Surrounded by sharks, with no fresh water, limited rations, unpredictable weather and the constant struggle to stay sane, Louis fights like never before to stay alive, while also keeping his friends alive as well. During a horrific storm, Louis' prays to God, simply saying, "If you save me, I will serve you forever."

Louis and Phil are eventually recued. By the enemy. And it's not long before they both realize that they were better off on the ocean as they suffer unimaginable torture and humiliation from the Japanese. However, nothing Louis has endured up to that point can compare to what he receives when he meets Corporal Mutsushiro Watanabe. Known among the prisoners as "The Bird," Watanabe is psychotic, vengeful, cruel and unmerciful. The Bird singles Louis out for his fame in America and goes to every extreme to punish and terrorize him.

In spite of The Bird's repeated attempts to break Louis down, Louis remains steadfast and immovable as he survives moment by moments. Louis and the other POWs work, steal, unite and never give up on the hope that they will be rescued. When the camps are finally liberated in 1945, Louis returns home to his family who have thought him to be dead for almost a year. 

Throughout everything Louis endured in Japan, his own personal war with PTSD, alcohol, and  revenge is about to begin. And this war may end his life for good. (segue into Unbroken: The Path to Redemption)

What amazed me about this film is how it followed the book so well! This was such a heartbreaking story and as I said in my book review, what is written and shown doesn't even scratch the surface as to what really transpired. While the casting was well done, I originally had my concerns on the casting of Watanabe. In real life, Watanabe was a tall, masculine soldier who was considerably much older. In the film they cast what appeared to be an androgynous college student that was the same age as Louis (Miyavy, the actor who played Watanabe was actually 32 at the time, roughly how old Watanabe would have been). 

Then I realized that instead of showing on older jealous man beating down on a younger, healthier man, they were two young men exactly the same age, but their culture and how they were raised couldn't be any more different. Louis was raised as a free thinking American, while on the other side of the world, Watanabe was raised by the state to think and do only what was commanded of him. If that was Angelina Jolie's intention in casting a younger looking Watanabe to show the contrast between the young men in America and the young men in Japan, she succeeded. 

The casting of Watanabe set aside, Unbroken is a wonderful WWII history that did not shy away from the atrocities of POW life; while at the same time showcasing the courage and duty of not just Louis Zamprini, but of all the young men who bravely fought and died to protect Western civilization from ever experiencing those same atrocities.