I found "Unbreakable" to be totally absorbing. I'm sure the film will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found the quiet sincerity of the story intriguing, and M. Night Shyamalan's deliberate telling of it to be equally compelling.

The story begins with the birth of a baby in a department store in the '60s. The child's bones are so fragile that he is born with broken arms and legs. The baby is Elijah Price, who suffers many more broken bones as he grows, such that the kids call him "Mr. Glass." He can't play outdoors much, so he becomes engrossed in comic books. By the time we meet him in the body of Samuel L. Jackson, he walks with a cane, owns a very exclusive comic book store, and has an intensity of purpose that is almost maniacal.

The other key player of the film is David Dunn, played by Bruce Willis, whom we first meet as a passenger on a train. When the train speeds out of control and wrecks, David is the sole survivor-- and he doesn't have a scratch on him.

Elijah seeks out David, sending him a provocative note "How many days of your life have you been sick." The plot thickens, then, as David looks back over his life. Has he been sick? Has he been injured?

We discover that David might not be physically impaired, he does have some emotional scars. His marriage is crumbling, and he is overwhelmed with sadness. As the story unfolds, we discover that the two are linked, but not in the simple way you may think.

I'm loath to describe any more of the story, lest I give away vital clues. Let me just say that "Unbreakable" is an intelligent and engrossing movie. It's a movie that looks at key issues in our popular culture yet goes far beyond it. There's not much action, there's lots of dialogue, and plenty of empty space.

I recommend "Unbreakable," but with reservations. Bruce Willis is wonderful in the role of David Dunn, and perfectly counterbalanced by Samuel L. Jackson. If you want to take your brain to the movies, "Unbreakable" is a good choice. Like "The Sixth Sense" "Unbreakable" keeps you wondering, and takes its own time in unfolding. But unlike "The Sixth Sense" "Unbreakable" doesn't quite come off. Perhaps the pace is too slow. Perhaps "The Sixth Sense" was too hard to follow.


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