Unbreakable (film): Difference between revisions

{{for|the series of which this is the first film|Unbreakable (film series){{!}}''Unbreakable'' (film series)}}

| studio = {{Unbulleted list |[[Touchstone Pictures]] |[[Blinding Edge Pictures]]|[[Barry Mendel Productions]]|Limited Edition Productions Inc.}}

| released = {{Film date|2000|11|14|[[New York City; premiere|2000|11|21|Limited]]|2000|11|22|United States}}

| country = United States

| language = English

'''''Unbreakable''''' is a 2000 American [[superhero film|superhero]] [[thriller film]] written, produced, and directed by [[M. Night Shyamalan]], and starring [[Bruce Willis]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]], and [[Robin Wright]], [[Spencer Treat Clark]] and [[Charlayne Woodard]]. It is the first installment in the [[Unbreakable (film series)|''Unbreakable'' film series]]. In ''Unbreakable'', [[David Dunn (character)|David Dunn]] (Willis) survives a train crash with no injuries, leading to the realization that he harbors superhuman abilities. As he begins to grapple with this discovery, he comes to the attention of disabled comic book store owner Elijah Price (Jackson), who manipulates David to understand him.

''Unbreakable'' was released on November 2122, 2000. It received generally positive reviews,<ref name="metacritic" /> with praise for Shyamalan's direction, screenplay, its aesthetics, the performances, the emotional weight of the story, cinematography, and the score by [[James Newton Howard]]. The film has subsequently gained a strong [[cult following]].<ref>{{cite magazine | title = Unbreakable – An Oral History | url = https://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/10/unbreakable-oral-history | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | date = July 10, 2015 | access-date = October 14, 2015}}</ref> A realistic vision of the [[superhero]] genre,<ref name="hollywoodreporter"/> it is regarded by many as one of Shyamalan's best films and one of the best [[superhero film]]s. In 2011, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' listed it as one of the top ten superhero films of all time, ranking it number four.<ref name="time_top10">{{cite magazine|last=Cruz|first=Gilbert|title=Top 10 Superhero Movies: 4. Unbreakable (2000)|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2011/06/03/top-10-superhero-movies/slide/unbreakable-2000/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=August 17, 2011|date=June 3, 2011}}</ref> [[Quentin Tarantino]] also included it on his list of the top 20 films released since 1992.<ref name="spike"/>

In [[1961 Philadelphia]] in 1961, baby Elijah Price is born with Type I [[osteogenesis imperfecta]], a rare disease that renders his bones extremely fragile and prone to fracture.

FormerIn the film's present, former star [[quarterback]] and security guard [[David Dunn (character)|David Dunn]] boardsis a train, Eastrail 177, going backreturning home to Philadelphia, after a job interview in [[New York City|Newwhen York]]his train, asEastrail the train177, suddenly speeds up. He wakes up in a hospital room, unscathed, asand the doctors inform him he is the sole survivor of the derailment that killed all other 131 except Davidpassengers. After attending a memorial service for the victims, David finds a note on his car asking how long it's been since he has been ill and inviting him to "Limited Edition", an art gallery operated by Elijah Price. He goes with his son Joseph to meet Elijah. Elijah explains his theory of real-life superheroes, and if he represents extreme frailty, that there must be someone "unbreakable" at the opposite extreme. David is unsettled and leaves but later finds he can bench press {{convert|350|lb|kg}}, well above his expectations. Joseph idolizes his father, believing him to be a superhero, although David maintains that he is an ordinary man.

When [[M. Night Shyamalan]] conceived the idea for ''Unbreakable'', the outline had a comic book's traditional three-part structure (the [[superhero]]'s "birth", his struggles against general evil-doers, and the hero's ultimate battle against the "[[archenemy]]"). Finding the birth section most interesting, he decided to write ''Unbreakable'' as an [[origin story]]. During the filming of ''[[The Sixth Sense]]'', Shyamalan had already approached [[Bruce Willis]] for the lead role of David Dunn.<ref name="making">[[M. Night Shyamalan]], [[Bruce Willis]], [[Samuel L. Jackson]], [[Barry Mendel]], [[Sam Mercer]], [[Eduardo Serra]], [[James Newton Howard]], ''The Making of Unbreakable'', 2001, [[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment]]</ref> With Willis and [[Samuel L. Jackson]] specifically in mind for the two leading characters, Shyamalan began to write ''Unbreakable'' as a [[spec script]]<ref>{{cite magazine | author = Christopher John Farley | url = https://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998594,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101122101929/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998594,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = November 22, 2010 | title = A New Day Dawns For Night | date = November 27, 2000 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | access-date = December 19, 2008}}</ref> during [[post-production]] on ''The Sixth Sense''.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,87399,00.html2000/11/14/unbreakable/ | title = Movie Preview: Nov. 22 | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | date = August 11, 2000 | access-date = December 19, 2008 | archive-date = October 14, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081014031557/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,87399,00.html | url-status = deadlive }}</ref> Jackson recalled meeting Willis in a casino in Casablanca while he was on vacation prior to ''Unbreakable''{{'}}s production; Willis told Jackson that he had just finished filming for Shyamalan's ''The Sixth Sense'' and told Jackson about the new script that was written for both of them.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/glass-cast-tells-conan-how-an-unlikely-superhero-trilogy-came-to-be | title = Glass Cast Tells Conan How An Unlikely Superhero Trilogy Came To Be | first = Nichalos | last = Stayton | date = July 23, 2018 | access-date = July 23, 2018 | work = [[Syfy Wire]] | archive-date = July 23, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180723032959/http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/glass-cast-tells-conan-how-an-unlikely-superhero-trilogy-came-to-be | url-status = dead }}</ref>

With the financial and critical success of ''The Sixth Sense'' in August 1999, Shyamalan gave [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] a [[first-look deal]] for ''Unbreakable''. In return, Disney purchased Shyamalan's screenplay at a "spec script record" for $5&nbsp;million. He was also given another $5&nbsp;million to direct. Disney decided to release ''Unbreakable'' under their [[Touchstone Pictures]] banner. It also helped Shyamalan establish his own [[production company]], [[Blinding Edge Pictures]].<ref>{{cite news | first1 = Angelina |last1= Chen | first2= Michael |last2= Fleming | url = https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117760020 | title = Deal makes 'Sense' | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = December 15, 1999 | access-date = December 19, 2008 }}</ref> [[Julianne Moore]] was cast as Audrey, David's wife, in January 2000,<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jan/14/3 | title = Moore signs up with Sixth Sense director | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = January 14, 2000 | access-date = September 24, 2021}}</ref> but dropped out in March 2000, to take on the role of [[Clarice Starling]] in ''[[Hannibal (2001 film)|Hannibal]]''. [[Robin Wright|Robin Wright Penn]] was cast in her place.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117778962 | title = Inside Moves | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = March 2, 2000 | access-date = December 19, 2008}}</ref> [[Principal photography]] began on April 25, 2000, and ended that July. The majority of filming took place in [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, the film's setting.<ref>{{cite news | author = Charles Lyons | url = https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117760850 | title = Moore gets 'Break' | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = January 14, 2000 | access-date = December 19, 2008}}</ref>

[[James Newton Howard]] was approached by Shyamalan to work on ''Unbreakable'' immediately after scoring ''The Sixth Sense''. "He sat there and [[storyboard]]ed the whole movie for me", Howard said. "I've never had a director do that for me."<ref name= music/> Shyamalan wanted a "singularity" tone for the music. "He wanted something that was very different, very distinctive, that immediately evoked the movie when people heard it,"<ref name= music/> Howard explained. Howard and Shyamalan chose to simplify the score, and minimized the number of instruments (strings, trumpets and piano), with limited orchestrations. It was recorded at [[Associated Independent Recording#AIRAir Lyndhurst Hall, Hampstead (1991–present)|AIR Studios Lyndhurst Hall]], a converted church in London. "You could have recorded the same music in a studio in Los Angeles, and it would have been great, but there is something about the sound of that church studio," Howard remarked. "It's definitely more ''[[List of Italian musical terms used in English#Moods|misterioso]]''."<ref name=music>{{cite news | first = Rick |last= Lyman | title = At The Movies: A Full Plate For the Holidays | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = November 24, 2000 }}</ref>

| studio = [[Air Lyndhurst|AIR]] (London, UK)

''Unbreakable'' was released in the United States on November 2122, 2000, in 2,708 theaters and grossed $30.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind ''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)|How the Grinch Stole Christmas]]''. The film ended up earning $95 million domestically and $153.1 million internationally for a total of $248.1 million, against its $75 million production budget.<ref name="boxofficemojo_unbreakable" />

In 2002 Audrey Colombe described the movie's plot as an example of what "[[Toni Morrison]] calls a "'dehistoricizing allegory,"'" with the Elijah Price character as yet another example of "White Hollywood"'s "[[Magical Negro|magical African American male character]]" helping the [[White savior narrative in film|white hero]] do the right thing, though Elijah is described as a rare exception to the rule that this character is "never 'bad'".<ref name="ejumpcut01a">{{cite journal | url= http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc45.2002/colombe/ |title= White Hollywood's new Black boogeyman |first= Audrey | last = Colombe | issue = 45 | journal = Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media |date=October 2002 |quote=Unbreakable's plot is what Toni Morrison calls a "dehistoricizing allegory," story telling that leaves difficult and inconvenient history aside ... What's remarkable about the recent magical figure ... Unbreakable presents Elijah (Samuel L. Jackson), a disturbed and fragile man who is compelled to help David (Bruce Willis), the "unbreakable" White man, realize his ability to conquer evil with good. ... The Black male figure is never "bad" in the final evaluation; the exception here is Elijah Price in Unbreakable who is, bizarrely enough, trying to convince the main White character to help curb his (Price's) own evil actions. |access-date =December 3, 2006 }}</ref>

|<ref>{{cite web| title =Sci-fi Noms | work = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] | date = February 1, 2002| url = https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=107244&page=1 | access-date = November 6, 2017 }}</ref>

|rowspan="1"|[[Bogey Awards]]

Additionally, Shyamalan has stated the orange-suited villain portrayed by [[Chance Kelly]] in ''Unbreakable'' was initially going to be the character "The Horde".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/m-night-shyamalan-split/ |title=M. Night Shyamalan Talks Split, Casting James McAvoy... And That Twist |website=Empire |date=January 24, 2017 }}</ref> However, features of The Horde were dropped to make the character simpler in order to keep the focus on David. The original character, Kevin Wendell Crumb, would later be fully realized in ''Split''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/05/04/how-m-night-shyamalans-glass-takes-the-right-lessons-from-the-avengers/ |title=How M. Night Shyamalan's 'Glass' Takes The Right Lessons From 'The Avengers' |first=Scott |last=Mendelson |author-link=Scott Mendelson |website=Forbes }}</ref><ref name="hwr">{{Cite web | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/split-movie-ending-explained-unbreakable-2-bruce-willis-planned-966669 | title = 'Split': M. Night Shyamalan Explains an Ending Years in the Making | first = Aaron | last = Couch | date = January 22, 2017 | access-date = January 22, 2017 | work = [[The Hollywood Reporter]] }}</ref>

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