First Take Classics: Unbreakable- they call him Mr Glass

SYNOPSIS: A man learns something extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident.

For many people, the ending of 2017’s M. Night Shyamalan film Split introduced modern audiences to what many people call the most unconventional superhero film. He’s been wanting to make a sequel to this film happen for years- and we are finally getting that sequel in the form of Glass, which we’ll be reviewing next week. So, time to look back on the film that began it all. And 19 years on, it is just as pioneering as it was back then.

Shyamalan was at the height of his game when he wrote and directed this film, coming off the back of The Sixth Sense, he is able to pace the 1 hour 46 minutes incredibly well, working to a script that really does break down the idea of the super hero and the archetypical villain- a lot has been written about this film since its release, and quite rightly, this does pre-date the Marvel Cinematic Universe by a number of years. Behind the camera is Eduardo Serra, and believe me, the cinematography still looks incredible after all this time, the same can be said for James Newton Howard’s score (and a fun fact for The Great Men and Women™ of a certain cinema, they hear the main theme from this film on that infamous corridor playlist).

Obviously Bruce Willis is able to deliver some great work here, but this film is built around that Samuel L Jackson performance as Elijah Price- better known as Mr Glass. Simple, yet menacing. Just how you do an origin story. Supporting these two industry titans are Robin Wright, Spencer Treat Clark (who puts in some brilliant work as the son of Willis’ lead character David Dunn) and many others, and looking back on this film now that Shyamalan has got to make a trilogy out of it, this is a masterclass in how to make a comic book movie work.

THE VERDICT

Unbreakable is exactly that just over 19 years on. It doesn’t feel like a film from 2000, and while Shyamalan’s work has varied since this film, he has put his heart and soul into these characters, especially as for you enthusiasts, one scene in this film directly leads in to Split. I just hope that Glass lives up to the hype now.

RATING: 4.5/5