Unbroken-Teen Movie Review

“If you can take it, you can make it.” That’s what Louis Zamperini’s (Jack O’Connell) older brother tells him before running a track meet and it’s what Louis Zamperini remembers during his horrendous wartime struggles. Unbroken follows the life of an Olympic runner and wartime hero…Louis Zamperini. Louis survives on a raft for 47 days in the Pacific, after his plane crashed during WWII. He and a fellow airman were rescued by the Japanese and sent to a prisoner of war camp. At camp he was tortured by the evil and sadistic Mutsushiro Watanabe, nicknamed by the Americans as “The “Bird.” Over the course of two years Louis was beaten and brutally tortured by Watanabe. However it was the memory of his mother praying, and his brother’s powerful words that gave him strength and courage to endure the unbelievable abuse in which he faced.

Rating: 2 and 1/2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: March 24, 2014
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 15+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? No

Talking Points:

•  Louis was a trouble maker as an adolescent… smoking, drinking and getting into fights. It was Louis’ brother who encouraged him to run track. The discipline of running kept Louis focused and out of trouble, which also helped him survive his wartime pain. Great parent/child conversations.

• This is an inspirational story of a man who had the will and faith in God to endure an unbelievable amount of torture. Having said that, it was a hard film to watch. Seeing Louis get brutally beaten again and again and again and again was a little much.  The violent scenes were too long and drawn out. See violent content below.

Sexual Content: Mild

• Louis hides under the bleachers at a track meet, looking up female classmates skirts.
• There is a sexual reference comparing Louis’ running time and his time in the sack.

Violent/Disturbing Content: Excessive

• As a young boy Louis is bullied, we see kids hit, punch and kick him.
• Louis and the two other survivors who crashed into the Pacific were stranded on rafts- one died after 33 days, Louis and the other airman made it 47 days, before being rescued by the Japanese. We see them suffer as they float on their rafts… hungry,  thirsty, and fighting off sharks.  Their faces are blistered from the sun. They’re shown vomiting over the raft after eating raw fish.
• As a POW Louis is brutally abused, he’s punched, kicked, constantly tortured and severely beaten by Watanabe’s staff.
• There is a scene where Watanabe has hundreds of prisoners in the camp hit Louis in the face, this was awful and disturbing to see.
• Louis is forced to hold a wooden beam on his shoulders for hours, and will be killed if he drops it. When he’s done holding the beam, Watanabe beats Louis again. We see him shirtless and unconscious on the ground until the next day.

Crude or Profane Language: Moderate

• We hear “sh-t,” “d–n,” “d–mit,” “a–,” and “b–ch.”

Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild

• We see Louis drinking alcohol as an adolescent.
• Soldiers are shown smoking cigarettes and cigars.

Will Kids Like It? No

• I interviewed two 13 year old girls who thought it was too intense and depressing.

Overall this is an interesting and inspirational story. However, parents need to be aware of the disturbing and violent scenes woven throughout the film.

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