Louie Zamperini was an Olympian as a distance runner and a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corp. Unbroken is his story…

Story: This is a tough story to watch. This is not a feel-good movie – it’s a story about war and torture and survival. For that, this film has no choice but to be great because it makes you react. There are scenes that are so graphic and violent… The filmmakers did a stellar job of making those moments real. I was surprised there isn’t more post-war story, but, there’s only so much you can squeeze into 2 hours…

Performances: Jack O’Connell as Louie Zamperini is very good. Some part of his charm is likely to be his newcomer status; It’s always nice to see a fresh face on the big screen. But, he does hold his own with the subject matter. There hasn’t been much talk about O’Connell being nominated for any awards, but, if he does get nominated, it wouldn’t be an outrage…

Visual: The 1930‘s and 40‘s look like their respective eras. As the film progresses into the war, there are some really good special effects during the flight scenes. The time they spend at sea as well – very well shot. It’s hard to value costumes when a good portion of the film is shot in a prison camp, but, they do look like prison camps…

Rating: B+. My sense is that this film is more about honoring Louie Zamperini than making a cinematic impact. Angelina Jolie has been very thoughtful in the film projects she’s chosen to direct. She appears to do it as a testament to her humanitarian efforts. Commendable. But, in relation to some other films I’ve seen this year, she may have to enjoy her good work without an award. And, I think she’ll be okay with that…

This is a question mark for me as to see it or not. If I had to see it again, I wouldn’t because of the subject matter, but, it is a well done film. If you like films about war and can handle seeing some of the things service members have to do to survive, see it. But, after seeing this, I really have a more vivd sense of why PTSD exists…