from ‘Unbreakable,’ which broke

“Unbreakable,” huh? With the grouping of M. Night Shyamalan of “The Sixth Sense” fame, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, I expected this film to be infallible. In some ways, it was, while in other ways, “Unbreakable” shattered.

The film opens with statistics about the popularity of comic books, and you may be tempted to think you’re seeing a preview for a film you didn’t know was being released. Don’t be fooled. You’re in a Shyamalan world now.

One of the first scenes introduces audiences to David Dunn (Willis) as he heads home to Philadelphia from New York City by train. Seemingly rather discontented, he slips off his wedding ring as an attractive woman sits beside him. Shortly after she tells him she’s married, the train crashes, leaving David as the unscathed sole survivor.

This somewhat ominous scene sets the entire tone of the film, not because audiences meet David or the train wreck (which isn’t shown onscreen, by the way), but because of Shyamalan’s impressive direction. This scene, and the conversations that take place throughout it, is shot entirely between two seats of the train, a row in front of David. Shyamalan practically forces viewers into that seat in front of David, making the scene appear as if someone were watching and eavesdropping on the conversation.

We quickly learn that, while David has a good relationship with his son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark, “Gladiator”), he and his wife Audrey (Robin Wright Penn, “Forrest Gump”) are amidst a separation (they sleep in separate bedrooms). This sets the stage for some of the more obvious sub-plots of the film.

Shortly after the crash, David finds a note on his car asking him how often he’d been sick throughout his life. Eventually, he finds Elijah Price (Jackson), who has a genetic disease that makes his bones easily breakable. He lives in a comic world and thinks he has found a real-world super-hero in the “unbreakable” David.

That said, there’s little else that can be said about plot without revealing too much. Both Willis and Jackson turn in stellar performances, and rumor has it, Disney will be pushing some Oscar buzz for Willis (which, any other year may seem out of the question, but this year has been so weak, there may be a spot for him yet).

Willis also seems to bring out the best in child actors. Clark was outstanding as David’s devoted son. In the film’s most moving scene, he points a loaded gun at David as an effort to prove Elijah’s theory. The tension between David, Joseph and Audrey filled the small kitchen and leaked out into the audience.

This, and every other positive aspect of this film, can be attributed to Shyamalan’s masterful work. Every scene is uniquely shot in such a way, making them not only effective, but memorable as well. However, the film attempts to make some sort of statement juxtaposing life to comic books, and, to be frank, it just doesn’t work.

In the end, the overall plot, themes and film as a whole may not be “Unbreakable,” but it gradually becomes quite evident that Shyamalan is.