The story in itself, was pretty inspiring. However, I felt the antagonist, The Bird, was miscast.

Undoubtably a great story, but I think it was told in a standard, borderline cliche way...

For example, during one of the beatings the director cuts away to a flashback/dream of Louis running in the sun... this wouldn't be too big a problem if it was just cliche, as he was a runner, but also it removes the tension of the scene... I'm no expert and I don't usually nit pick, but this stood out.

Yes, The Bird was miscast.

The photography was very good... I'm glad I gave the movie a chance as it's a good story, but I wonder what it would have been like in the hands of another director...

I thought it was unwatchable. I had to turn it off.

Jack O'Connell's casting was the most bizarre I have ever seen. He's the least Italian looking actor imaginable. He's a very British actor known for playing dysfunctional chavs, which he's very good at. Check out Starred Up or Eden Lake. But this is the only time I've seen him try anything else. And it was bad. His accent sucked.

I just struggled through this, although after a while I allowed myself to be distracted by other things. A dreary film. One can often predict exactly what is going to happen next (I bet a shark pops up right... NOW) and, once action shifts into the POW camp, so repetitive that at one point I did momentarily wonder if I had inadvertently skipped the movie back by a few chapters.

As @JustinJackFlash notes, O'Connell is a charismatic actor in the right role ('71 is excellent) but here, he was way off the mark. Miyavi was awful although he has nothing but a cliche to work with, and Domnhall Gleason's presence always makes me approach any film with caution (and, for some reason which I cannot fathom, he pops up everywhere these last few years!)

Also - other than the fact that Zamperini was an Olympian, was there anything in his story to differentiate it from countless war tales over the years? It felt like something that could have been churned out in the 1940s.

Occasional beautiful shots as one would expect from Roger Deakins and a mildly engaging first act (it's all, er, at sea after the crash) are among this film's few virtues. 3/10

I've just seen "Unbroken" on FX, and, from the reviews I've seen, what we've got here is another "Tora! Tora! Tora!" Paying attention to detail and "getting the facts straight" about people, places and events can work AGAINST a movie, as in the case of "Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Even Roger Ebert complained about "watching a documentary" instead of a movie!?) Did major events shown onscreen happen? Check. Were Imperial Japanese military personnel in charge of Allied P.O.W.s brutal/violent/homicidal toward these sailors/soldiers/airmen? Check. Was "The Bird" as psychotic as portrayed? Check. Does the character's faith and determination come through as instrumental in his surviving this ordeal? Apparently not. So, "Pearl Harbor," in spite of making a SOAP OPERA out of World War II gets replayed often. "Tora! Tora! Tora!," which "lets the facts speak for themselves" is relegated to Pearl Harbor attack anniversaries, if that. The fact that "Unbroken" has been denounced by Japanese right wingers for "daring to speak/show the truth" shows that "the facts are speaking," but is anybody listening? (Especially in Japan.) I gave this movie a 3 star rating. Numerically, it's a 7/10 or better for daring to "let the facts speak for themselves."

I didnt think it was all that well shot really. The complete lack of tension and turbulence in some the plane scenes was remarkable. As someone who is terrible with heights and will easily go sweaty palmed at things like Man on Wire they somehow managed to make a scene with the bomb bay doors illicit zero response. The naval scenes were formulaic and while the POW scenes were better, its been done before and done better.

There was also almost no sign of the way that faith helped the guy pull through, it just seemed like, as with most POWs, if your body can hold firm under sustained mistreatment you can pull through, if not, you don't. Perhaps in that way it was intentional honesty.

I'd recommend Devils on the Doorstep and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence as far superior films on the similar theme of man's inhumanity to man, Japanese edition.

5/10