Well, well. The first real, full-length trailer for Unbroken was released yesterday. I’m still sort of processing it. This is Angelina Jolie’s second full-length feature film as a director, and it looks like she’s jammed a lot of big, historical set pieces and a lot of action into the story of the late, great Louis Zamperini. Jack O’Connell (a young English actor) stars as teenage and adult Louis, and the film also stars Garrett Hedlund (who is barely recognizable in some of these clips) and glorious ginger Domhnall Gleeson. One of my first thoughts was actually, “Wow, a lot of sausage here.” I mean, most WWII films are pretty dude-heavy. But you would think that Angelina would have wanted some more female parts, right? Anyway, here’s the trailer:
It looks intense. I think it will be well-received, although I have a theory about WWII films and Hollywood. My theory is that Hollywood (specifically Oscar voters) prefer WWII films about the European front. They don’t like it so much when films are made about the Japanese POW camps and what have you. But… this is a true story, it’s historically accurate and it looks like Jack O’Connell is giving a crazy-good performance. #AllTheOscars?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to see it. And I am all for female empowerment but if the story focuses on things that are relevant and true to the story that’s all I are about. I want more roles for women but not just to check some random box.
@starrywonder – I agree 100% re your comments on women in the movie. I love seeing female-centered movies but it has to be organic to the story. In this case, I don’t see how Jolie could stay true to the story and have a starring role for a woman as well. I think it’s fine.
In agreement with both of you.
+1 totally.
I agree. I can’t see how they could squeeze in a significant female role in the movie without it looking like a token or staying true to the facts.
I think the fact that its directed by a woman, based on the book written by a woman actually does more for empowermant than adding a token female lead . If the film is big box office money (which it probably will be), I hope it opens more doors in the creative world and encourages people to finance film’s helmed by women. Thats the real win.
Spot on. It’s far more important that this movie was directed by a woman, who are criminally underrepresented in American film. I mean, Kathryn Bigelow is the ONLY female director to win a Best Director Oscar EVER. That’s insane. And a big part of this is that women are almost never allowed to direct important movies with decent budgets.
This film may be obvious Oscar bait, but so what? Spielberg, Eastwood, Scorsese, Howard, et alia have been doing this for years. I hope Jolie goes all the way with this.
I haven’t read the book yet. Waiting for the paperback. will read it before watching the movie.
Since the film is based on the book are there many females highlighted in the text of the book? If not why add someone when they were not mentioned in the actual book.
The trailer looks very emotional. Louis Zamperinin liked a very unbelievable life. I love the way is spans his life.
Win or not I hope it does well at the BO and that to me is a WIN WIN for Angie.
The book is fantastic, I couldn’t put it down. And, there are not many female characters in it. His mom, sister, and later on his wife. That’s about it.
i have not read the book, but from several accounts and reviews, i read also how his wife stayed by him and supported him through his PTSD-induced rage and alchoholism (where he abused her?), and led him to the Pastor who helped him recover his faith?
now i realize that this post-war period of Mr Zamperini’s life will not be covered in this particular movie in great detail but, if all goes well with the biopic, i think a story about Mrs Zamperini will be nice to have, a sequel maybe? sort of a “his and her” bookend of the remarkable story.
from the little i managed to read in the review, Mrs Zamperini is also a hero, and in a way represents another facet of war and its aftermath.
i remember a “Who Do You Think You Are” episode of Sir Patrick Stewart. it’s an enlightening episode of his relationship with his father and mother post-war. he said that while women like his mother might never set foot on the front lines, they also fight the hard war to put a family back together again.
It looks like every other WWII movie that’s come out after Saving Private Ryan. I feel like I have already seen this movie a hundred times over. Maybe it’s time to focus on another historical war.
There’s also something very Hallmark-ish about it, at least from what I can see of it in the trailer. But I’m sure the Academy will eat it up.
All of this.^^ Except the Oscar bit.
Obviously a trailer can be not entirely representative of a film, but it feels like the audience are going to be “uplifted” by every darn cliche in the book.
Funny, I always thought Brokeback Mountain was Hallmark-ish/Lifetime Movie-esque. And it won an Oscar so who knows?
One thing about this film that may give it an Oscar edge…from what I remember reading it languished in Hollywood for years, decades maybe. The fact that Angelina finally managed to make it happen is a pretty major accomplishment.
I think storytellers are drawn to WWII because it is so clear who the “bad guys” and “good guys” are. Other conflicts and wars can be a lot more complicated, so its harder to make a fairy tale out of their reality.
It’s an incredible story, its not mining WW2 just for the sake of going back to the war. I mean, Olympic athlete to soldier to lost at sea to POW… its a crazy, one of a kind story.
That Skins cast has churned out some great young actors. Nicholas Hoult and now Jack? Please.
O to the M to the G, I didn’t even recognize him until I saw your comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the more reason to watch this movie now! I’m certainly impressed.
COOK! Loved him in Skins. I knew he had the talent to go on with it and have a big career. There’ll be no stopping him after this.
He was amazing in Skins and proud of him for this too 🙂 My Grandfather was in the Burma POW camps building a railway, I hope this film does justice to the forgotten front.
It looks great. Its too early to start screaming oscar from a trailer. But I have a feeling its going to get So many nomination. I always have this feeling at the back of my mind that early oscar buzz sometimes kill the chances of the movie actually winning the award.
Woo – where did that dust come from? My eyes are all watery. Oh, and that trailer is powerfully touching, too.
It looks good!! What an extraordinary man…
It has the feel of an old-fashioned war movie, and I say that as a compliment. The subject was a “real American hero,” with all the good and bad that implies, and his life story is definitely movie-worthy.
I don’t know about the Oscar, though. This is not the kind of movie the Academy likes these days, I think.
Is it just me or does Jack O’connell look like Tom Hardy?
Since this is a true story it doesn’t make sense to add female characters just for the sake of it.
The trailer makes it look like every other generic Oscar bait biopic of the last fifteen years or so. The overused music doesn’t help. I hope the actual movie isn’t so typical and by the book.
Looks great!! And Louie was born in my hometown Olean, NY!!
Jack O’Connell = A-MAZING! He’s one of my new favorites. Just saw Starred Up, an Irish/English film with him – incredible. He’s going to go far if he keeps making the right choices.
Frankly he’s relatively unknown and it’s not about him making choices but rather directors selecting him and giving him the opportunities!! Be realistic, he did mentioned that he have to accept the role for 300 because he have to pay his bills. Starred Up is a small indie film that have few screenings , it is the one and only film that he managed to have a lead role. He was a cast in British drama skin and acted in a few films and that’s it. He very unknown out of Britain and even in England he is just someone trying to move up the ladder.
There are many talented young actors in the industry, he is too lucky to be selected by Ms Jolie the director, many talented actors wanted this good role. Jack is going to come out with this movie and role.
I did not get the “same old same old” feeling from this. War movies are going to have planes and explosions. I kept thinking “holy cr*p – this really happened to this guy.” Good for Angelina for telling his story!
Forget the Oscars, this stands on its own merit as an ode to a life well lived.
^THIS
Indeed. It’s all about the quality of the film. The Oscars should be a secondary concern.
+1 These days, critical acclaim gets someone further than an Oscar anyway.
There goes that Angie again, all drugged out & wild telling an HISTORICALLY ACCURATE story about WW2- crucify her, stop the presses. This is Louis Zamperini’s story. As much as he would have loved it, there was no strong, empowered woman like Lara Croft or Evelyn Salt or Mariane Pearl or even Christine Collins to come rescue him after he was shot down and lost at sea, starving and surrounded by sharks for 47 days. Angie was asked at a Maleficent press conference why choose subjects like WW 2 to direct and she answered, quite eloquently, that she loved history, was very interested in WW2 and thought that it was worth telling these stories because there are v important lessons that we can learn. She also said since there is no onscreen role for her as a woman in telling this kind of story, she could be part of the telling by directing. Her acting resume is full of strong female characters, more so than 90 percent of actresses in Hollywood, so perhaps she can get a pass on directing a “sausage fest”.
The “Today” show aired the trailer yesterday morning (in the teaser prior to airing the trailer, they indicated they would talk to Angelina Jolie about the film, but if they did, I missed it). The trailer was powerful and all I came away with was one word about the look and feel of the clip: Quality. Everything looked great!
I usually have a hard time watching films depicting the treatment of ‘prisoners of war,’ but I can’t wait to see the story of this incredible man brought to life in such an (apparently impressive manner. Angie … you go, girl! 🙂
Wow I almost cried watching this trailer, just remembering various scenes from the book. The book, the story, the MAN were all amazing and I hope this movie does them justice.
I don’t generally like WWI/II movies but this one seems awesome. And Jack O’Connell is hot as hell!
On a sidenote the Jolie-Pitt need to move on, enough with WW movies (even though they make good ones).
YES! Only boys can tell stories about boys and girls best sit quiet, shop, tan, and go to fashion shows all while filling up your instagram with your latest hairdo and booty shots and, if you’re lucky, a boy may ask you out- swoon! It was so cool when LADY Lara Croft punched that shark in the nose- Louis sure could have used her on that raft- and I bet Fox (Wanted) would have totally rescued Louis from the POW camp and burned it to the ground. There is an interview that Angie did years ago about watching a Ken Burns documentary re: WW 2 while on bed rest waiting for the twins to be born, so, yes, she had had an interest in the subject, despite having lady parts…twins were born six years ago tomorrow!
I will watch this film NOT because I am thinking about AWARDS but I am curious how Angelina depicts the MESSAGE of LZ’s life. It is very important for AJ that the viewers will learn good lessons from it. Just like her recent movie Maleficent, more than the excellent visuals, it is the message of true love’s kiss and Maleficent’s “realization” that attracts the viewers plus word of mouth. Personally, I am not fond of war movies BUT I trust the pure intent of AJ and I am very sure it will reflect on the film she directed.
finally watched the trailer! (thank you bandwidth deities). i like the Instagram hues for his younger days and the Dark Knight/Silent Hill palette for the PoW days.
my my, Jack O’Connell, you light of my screen. he has this young Clark Gable vibe to him.
Man, she’s so completely awesome.
I wanna watch this movie 🙂
I’m always happy to see a woman directing (especially a movie with action scenes, because other than Kathryn Bigelow Hollywood seems to think that only men can do that). That said, it’s waaaaaaay too early to be talking about Oscar nominations. Remember when everyone was talking about The Fifth Estate based on trailers at this time last year? I’ll wait for the early reviews before deciding whether this is likely to be any good.
Unfortunately, based on the trailer I might be passing on this film =( It really does seem like another big-scale WWII drama that shoves its messages straight into the viewer’s face with a lot of pageantry. Sorry, Angie, I respect you very much, but this will probably turn out to be not my cup of coffee.
This is looking a little cheesy to me. The book was awesome.
I thought the opposite-lol. I could not get through the book (it wasn’t the story, it was the writing-ugh). But I can’t wait to see the movie. What an amazing guy.
Angelina’s a really good person, a stunningly beautiful woman, and an almost freakishly charismatic actor, but she’s not a good director. This movie will probably be like her last one, which was an interesting story ineptly told. If there’s any nomination, it will probably be for Roger Deakins, who’s one of the best cinematographers of all time. And that’s how it should be. She already won the “Miss Congeniality” Oscar – the Hersholt Award – and her work doesn’t merit any other distinction.
I found the book to be incredibly repetitive, trite, and completely underwhelming. Basically it was “insert uplifting cliche’ of underdog/persistence/bravery here, add courage under fire, a small pinch of feisty personality, and generously cover with excessively dramatic prose.” I couldn’t possibly get excited about the film version no matter who directed. That said, I’m pleased anytime a woman successfully gets a big project through in Hollywood. The more of that happening the better.
Gotta throw my two cents in here……whether you liked the author’s writing, or not, you have to agree that he was one tough man, and managed to endure horrific torture and then go on to lead a very productive life. Not only does that require physical endurance, but a mental toughness I am not sure a lot of people possess.
Oh-I totally agree. That’s why I never tell people how much I disliked the book-I don’t want to appear like a cynical bitch. It’s an incredible story though-he was an amazing person-and I am looking forward to the movie.
I got teary eyes after I watched this trailer….read the book and it was great…can’t wait to see the movie…I’m sure Angie would make Louis proud…Oscar or not…his life needed to be told on the big screen…I trust Angie’s instinct…So far she has me sold…what a talented lady…actress, writer and director…she’s sure the force to be reckoned with…
I’m not normally into war time films but this looks really good and I have to admit that I teared up a bit after watching that trailer. I also showed it to my hubby (who loves war time films) and he really wants to see it too.
I get the feeling this film will do well because of what it represents and Jolie’s role in the film’s creation, rather than any exceptional filmmaking.
People want to believe it’s the best thing this year because that somehow honours and cannonises his life. Like an Oscar will somehow validate his life’s experiences. Actually, his life did that. This is just the ribbon on a package that housed an incredible life and an incredible man.
Gotta hand it to Jolie, though. Her PR game is on point. The timing is exquisite.
Love her. She’s a force.
Oscar loves her, most likely she will get recognition in some way.
I think Jolie has an incredible director’s eye for framing and composition. In the Land of Blood and Honey was visually haunting and Unbroken looks stellar in terms of quality and execution as a big studio film. I’m extremely eager to see how Jolie visually tells Louie’s story. The trailer looks fierce — particularly the bomber crash and the way Jolie depicts the force of the impact with the glass shattering and the water rushing in. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing tho story play out on the big screen.
I’m a huge fan of Kathyn Bigelow’s as well and have nothing but respect and admiration for both of these women who have staked their claim in an arena overrun by men. And as director AND producer of Unbroken, Jolie brings even more to the table.
And in terms of the awards, whatever will be will be. I’m just happy to see Louie Zamperini’s life finally getting it’s big screen due after lingering in Hollywood for decades. Kudos to Jolie for getting this project made. That itself deserves an award.