I once watched a movie called Ghost Story, one that I don't quite remember except that I was definitely spooked by it. Ghost Story stayed with me, I think, because it reminded me way back then of the vast difference between your common slash'n'gash horror flick, and a suspenseful, character-driven and plot-rich, thriller. M. Night Shyamalan, late of The Sixth Sense, reminded me again with his new thriller, Unbreakable. The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**) Security guard David Dunne (Bruce Willis) is a man living a broken life. Detached from his wife Audrey (Robin Wright Penn), seen as something he doesn't believe himself to be by his son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), and unsatisfied with his life in Philadelphia in general, David makes plans on moving to New York to start afresh. His plans change, however, when the train that he's a passenger on, derails - and not only is he the sole survivor, he also escapes the accident completely untouched. Physically untouched, that is. Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) too is, quite literally, a broken man. Elijah suffers from a birth defect that makes his bones brittle. When neighborhood kids bully him into becoming a hermit in his own home, his mother (Charlayn Woodward) challenges him to not make the decision to be afraid, saying that she would give him a special gift each time he conquers his fears. From that, Elijah takes comfort in the world of comic books, especially those dealing with mythical, super-heroic characters. David's life becomes connected to Elijah's in ways David never imagined - and he finds himself believing the unbelievable. The Upshot This movie belonged to three people: stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, and writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Willis reprises the sensibility toward his character that he had in last year's The Sixth Sense, again playing a quiet, confused, world-weary character who had something bubbling just below the surface, waiting to be ferreted out by...something. Jackson, effusive and commanding as always, provides just that something as the brittle Elijah. The physical manifestations of these characters - David as the strong and silent type, Elijah as a man as fragile as glass - belie their true nature; and in his portrayal of Elijah's inner self, Jackson, especially, certainly lives up to his powerhouse acting reputation. The conviction with which Jackson can make a man's knees wobble when said man dare try to buy a "comic" for his 4-year-old son, is perfectly matched here with the palpable feeling of anxiety we see behind Willis' character David's eyes when David has to face up to the fact that, yes, he might indeed be more than he appears - even to himself. Willis and Jackson make a dynamic duo, and they made every scene they were in - separate or together - something to keep your attention riveted closely to, so as not to miss a single bit. But M. Night Shyamalan's handiwork was clearly all over Unbreakable. Set-up shots of David and the object of his flirtation in the train, framed images of him next to the stairway in his house, the buildup to the crash that you could feel as a vibration rumbling beneath the mood music's crescendo, were reminiscent of The Sixth Sense without being derivative of it. In this sense, Shyamalan was as much a star of this show, as Willis or Jackson [hopefully not giving too much away - in more ways than one]. Robin Wright Penn was adequate as David's estranged wife Audrey, though she and Spencer Treat Clark as their son Joseph, shared quite a thrilling scene when Joseph, believing his father to be invincible, decides to test just how invincible good old dad might be. I was very surprised to note that the audience I was in, laughed during this taut scene. I'm trying to figure out whether that laughter only served to mask our stress and its subsequent relief. I know our stunned silence, and near-refusal to leave at the end, was a good indication of the confusion most of the viewing audience felt at that last scene. After all the minutes spent enjoying being twisted and turned in this direction and that, the final scene felt "off", as if the movie wasn't completely done. That, combined with an ill-advised (and, unless I miss my guess, tacked-on) tag line, brought me right out of the moment. It took a few minutes of sitting still and analyzing what I'd seen in the 113 moments prior, to get me past the somewhat stunning disappointment of feeling I was just talked down-to, as if Shyamalan didn't think the audience would Get It in the end. But don't let me spook you: the 113 moments prior were well worth it. If nothing else, Unbreakable will make you think about what you've just watched. And, in my book, any time a movie makes you pause to Consider, that's most def A Good Thing. Bammer's Bottom Line M. Night Shyamalan, first with The Sixth Sense and now with Unbreakable, is fast proving to be the kind of writer/director whose stories bite you right in the ass. Thing about bites, though, is that they usually leave you not quite satisfied. Almost filling, but just shy of a full meal, Unbreakable is nonetheless a helluva tale spun by a master craftsman. "Unbreakable": I can't wait to see what ghost story Shyamalan has in score for us next. back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Enterprises™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/ http://www.evenbetter.com/?partner=1987

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