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-->[[spoiler: It a comic, do you know who the arch-villain is going to be? He is the exact opposite of the hero. And most times they are friend's like you and me. I should have known way back when. You know why David? Because of the kids! They called me Mr. Glass.]]
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* SuperDrowningSkills: Played with. David has a phobia of water due to a childhood incident. [[spoiler:It's shown that David may be invulnerable, but he still requires oxygen, so he can drown just like anyone else.]]
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* SuperDrowningSkills: Played with. David has a phobia of water due to a childhood incident. [[spoiler:It's shown that David may be invulnerable, but he still requires oxygen, so he can drown just like anyone else.else and due to his stronger density with his abilities he sinks like a rock.]]
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* IdealImmunityIllness: David realizes he hasn't been sick in many years.
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* IdealImmunityIllness: IdealIllnessImmunity: David realizes he hasn't been sick in many years.
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* DespairEventHorizon: Elijah and his mother spent most of Elijah's life trying to avert this. Elijah's goal to discover a superhero is caused so he knows that he's not a "mistake" and that there's a reason he was born. [[spoiler: But he's willing to accept ''[[CreateYourOwnVillain any]]'' reason for existing.]]
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* DespairEventHorizon: Elijah and his mother spent most of Elijah's life trying to avert this. Elijah's goal to discover a superhero is caused so he knows in order to prove to himself that he's not a "mistake" and that there's a reason he was born. [[spoiler: But he's willing to accept ''[[CreateYourOwnVillain any]]'' reason for existing.]]
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* ConversationalTroping: David and Elijah's mother are talking about VillainTropes at Elijah's art gallery at the end. She says that Elijah believes there are two main types of villains. There's the soldier villain, who fights the hero with his hands, but there's also the brilliant and evil ArchEnemy, the really dangerous one, who fights the hero with his mind. [[spoiler:Elijah is revealed to be the latter.]]
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* ConversationalTroping: David and Elijah's mother are talking about VillainTropes at Elijah's art gallery at the end. She says that Elijah believes there are two main types of villains. There's the [[TheDragon soldier villain, villain]], who fights the hero with his hands, but there's also the brilliant and evil ArchEnemy, the really dangerous one, who fights the hero with his mind. [[spoiler:Elijah is revealed to be the latter.]]
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* ConversationalTroping: David and Elijah's mother are talking about VillainTropes at Elijah's art gallery at the end. She says that Elijah believes there are two main types of villains. There's the soldier villain, who fights the hero with his hands, but there's also the brilliant and evil ArchEnemy, the really dangerous one, who fights the hero with his mind. [[spoiler:Elijah is revealed to be the latter.]]
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* DespairEventHorizon: Elijah and his mother spent most of Elijah's life trying to avert this. Elijah's goal to discover a superhero is caused so he knows that he's not a "mistake" and that there's a reason he was born. [[spoiler: But he's willing to accept ''[[CreateYourOwnVillain any]]'' reason for existing.
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* DespairEventHorizon: Elijah and his mother spent most of Elijah's life trying to avert this. Elijah's goal to discover a superhero is caused so he knows that he's not a "mistake" and that there's a reason he was born. [[spoiler: But he's willing to accept ''[[CreateYourOwnVillain any]]'' reason for existing.]]
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* DespairEventHorizon: Elijah and his mother spent most of Elijah's life trying to avert this. Elijah's goal to discover a superhero is caused so he knows that he's not a "mistake" and that there's a reason he was born. [[spoiler: But he's willing to accept ''[[CreateYourOwnVillain any]]'' reason for existing.
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* IdealImmunityIllness: David realizes he hasn't been sick in many years.
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* TheEndingChangesEverything: And we do mean ''[[TwistEnding every]]''''[[WhamEpisode thing.]]''
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*** He certainly has some limits. Although he sustained no serious harm from the train wreck, it ''did'' knock him out for a while, probably at least a few hours, since he woke up in the hospital.
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** Given the movie's comic book themes, there is a subtle one that is FridgeBrilliance on later viewings. As has been mentioned, the color theme that goes with Elijah is purple, and his office has a large Egyptian pictoral behind his chair, both of which are references to [[spoiler:Ozymandias from {{Watchmen}}. It's FridgeBrilliance after you've seen both movies, and know that both of them are actually secretly the villain of the work.]]
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** Given the movie's comic book themes, there is a subtle one that is FridgeBrilliance on later viewings. As has been mentioned, the color theme that goes with Elijah is purple, and his office has a large Egyptian pictoral behind his chair, both of which are references to [[spoiler:Ozymandias from {{Watchmen}}.''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''. It's FridgeBrilliance after you've seen both movies, and know that both of them are actually secretly the villain of the work.]]
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* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Elijah's mother. By introducing him to his first comic book in an attempt to cheer him up, it ultimately lead to [[spoiler: ''hundreds'' of deaths as he attempted to find a real-life superhero.]]
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Splitting Colour Coded For Your Convenience
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* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: A deliberate addition to the style of the film. Like comic book characters, many of the people David encounters wear a signature colour. David's is green. Elijah's is purple. And like ''TheSixthSense'', red has major symbolic importance in the train station.
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* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: ColorCodedCharacters: A deliberate addition to the style of the film. Like comic book characters, many of the people David encounters wear a signature colour. David's is green. Elijah's is purple. And like ''TheSixthSense'', red has major symbolic importance in the train station.
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* ActorAllusion: SammulLJackson is actually a big comic books fan.
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* ActorAllusion: SammulLJackson SamuelLJackson is actually a big comic books fan.
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* ActorAllusion: SammulLJackson is actually a big comic books fan.
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** Given the movie's comic book themes, there is a subtle one that is FridgeBrilliance on later viewings. As has been mentioned, the color theme that goes with Elijah is purple, and his office has a large Egyptian pictoral behind his chair, both of which are references to Ozymandias from {{Watchmen}}. It's FridgeBrilliance after you've seen both movies, and know that [[spoiler:both of them are actually secretly the villain of the work.]]
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** Given the movie's comic book themes, there is a subtle one that is FridgeBrilliance on later viewings. As has been mentioned, the color theme that goes with Elijah is purple, and his office has a large Egyptian pictoral behind his chair, both of which are references to Ozymandias [[spoiler:Ozymandias from {{Watchmen}}. It's FridgeBrilliance after you've seen both movies, and know that [[spoiler:both both of them are actually secretly the villain of the work.]]
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: Elijah Price. He wanted to give the world a hero and he did, no matter ''what it took''.
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:WellIntentionedExtremist: Elijah Price. He wanted to give the world a hero and he did, no matter ''what it took''.]]
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* ShownTheirWork: Yes [[SubvertedTrope and]] [[DidNotDoTheResearch no]]. Osteogenesis imperfecta is a real disease, but there actually seven types of it, as opposed to the four mentioned by Elijah.
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* ShownTheirWork: Yes and [[SubvertedTrope and]] [[DidNotDoTheResearch no]]. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteogenesis_imperfecta Osteogenesis imperfecta imperfecta]] is a real disease, but there are actually seven types of it, as opposed to the four mentioned by Elijah.
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* ShownTheirWork: Yes [[SubvertedTrope and]] [[DidNotDoTheResearch no]]. Osteogenesis imperfecta is a real disease, but there actually seven types of it, as opposed to the four mentioned by Elijah.
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* PaintingTheFourthWall: At one point, we switch scenes to find [[spoiler:David, Audrey, and Joseph in the kitchen. Joseph is pointing David's gun at his father. The audience has to figure out what happened and how Joseph got the gun despite their shock, just like David does.]]
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** Played straight at the end though, only Elijah and Adam are aware of his secret as he accepts his destiny.
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** Played straight at the end though, only Elijah and Adam Joseph are aware of his secret as he accepts his destiny.
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*** Though this is in large part because at that point, he doesn't yet quite believe he's indestructible. He's still convincing himself that things like the train wreck were enormous coincidences, and isn't quite sure what to make of everything else he's learning. He's afraid of getting shot because ''normal people'' are afraid of getting shot and he still thinks he is one.
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Crosswicking.
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* SuperToughness: David discovers that he has this power when he's involved in a train crash:
-->'''ER Doctor:''' And, to answer your question, there are two reasons why I'm looking at you like this. One because it seems in a few minutes you will officially be the only survivor of this train wreck, and two, because you didn't break one bone, you don't have a scratch on you.
** Note that there are limits to his durability however. David himself believes he wouldn't be able to survive being shot point-blank, which makes for a very tense scene in the movie when his son believes he can prove his father's indestructability by doing just that.
-->'''ER Doctor:''' And, to answer your question, there are two reasons why I'm looking at you like this. One because it seems in a few minutes you will officially be the only survivor of this train wreck, and two, because you didn't break one bone, you don't have a scratch on you.
** Note that there are limits to his durability however. David himself believes he wouldn't be able to survive being shot point-blank, which makes for a very tense scene in the movie when his son believes he can prove his father's indestructability by doing just that.
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''Unbreakable'' is a PsychologicalThriller that's also a {{Deconstruction}} of the SuperHero genre. Directed by MNightShyamalan, the film stars BruceWillis as security guard David Dunn and SamuelLJackson as comic book art gallery owner Elijah Price.
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''Unbreakable'' is a PsychologicalThriller that's also a {{Deconstruction}} of the SuperHero genre. Directed by MNightShyamalan, Creator/MNightShyamalan, the film stars BruceWillis as security guard David Dunn and SamuelLJackson as comic book art gallery owner Elijah Price.
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* LanternJawOfJustice: When showing off a piece of comic book art to a prospective client, Elijah explains how the square jaw is common to superheroes, while supervillains have more pointed facial features. Later, [[spoiler: a sketch artists rendering of the the hero who saved the kids (David) is given a jawline to rival DickTracy]].
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* LanternJawOfJustice: When showing off a piece of comic book art to a prospective client, Elijah explains how the square jaw is common to superheroes, while supervillains have more pointed facial features. Later, [[spoiler: a sketch artists rendering of the the hero who saved the kids (David) is given a jawline to rival DickTracy]].ComicStrip/DickTracy]].
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* BaldOfAwesome: When Bruce Willis isn't asked to don a hairpiece, You know You're in for something good.
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* BaldOfAwesome: When Bruce Willis isn't asked to don a hairpiece, You you know You're you're in for something good.
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* [[spoiler: HeelRealization: "I should've known way back when. You know why David? Because of the kids! They called me Mr. Glass."]]
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* [[spoiler: HeelRealization: "I should've known way back when. You know why why, David? Because of the kids! They called me Mr. Glass."]]
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* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: A deliberate addition to the style of the film. Like comic book characters, many of the people David encounters wear a signature colour. David's is green. Elijah's is purple. And like ''TheSixthSense'' red has a very major symbolism in the train station.
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* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: A deliberate addition to the style of the film. Like comic book characters, many of the people David encounters wear a signature colour. David's is green. Elijah's is purple. And like ''TheSixthSense'' ''TheSixthSense'', red has a very major symbolism symbolic importance in the train station.
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''Unbreakable'' begins with the birth of Elijah, whose mother discovers that he has been born with ''osteogenesis imperfecta'' (which makes his bones as fragile as glass) and that he was born with broken arms and legs. The film then jumps to the present day where David, on his way home to Philadelphia from New York, ends up in a horrific train crash that kills everyone but him -- and David himself is perfectly healthy and unharmed.
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''Unbreakable'' begins with the birth of Elijah, whose mother discovers that he has been was born with broken arms and legs due to ''osteogenesis imperfecta'' (which makes his bones as fragile as glass) and that he was born with broken arms and legs.glass). The film then jumps to the present day where David, on his way home to Philadelphia from New York, ends up in a horrific train crash that kills everyone but him -- and David himself is perfectly healthy and unharmed.
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[[quoteright:290:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Unbrakable2000.JPG]]
-> ''What if Superman was here on earth... but he didn't know he was Superman?''
->-- '''QuentinTarantino''''s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4K-Rxx2Bk&feature=player_embedded suggestion of the movie's tagline]]
''Unbreakable'' is a PsychologicalThriller that's also a {{Deconstruction}} of the SuperHero genre. Directed by MNightShyamalan, the film stars BruceWillis as security guard David Dunn and SamuelLJackson as comic book art gallery owner Elijah Price.
''Unbreakable'' begins with the birth of Elijah, whose mother discovers that he has been born with ''osteogenesis imperfecta'' (which makes his bones as fragile as glass) and that he was born with broken arms and legs. The film then jumps to the present day where David, on his way home to Philadelphia from New York, ends up in a horrific train crash that kills everyone but him -- and David himself is perfectly healthy and unharmed.
Elijah makes contact with David and theorizes that if Elijah is on one end of the spectrum (frail and brittle), then there must be someone in the world who is on the other end of the spectrum -- and he believes David to be this person. In addition to being (allegedly) MadeOfIron, David also seems to have a subconscious ability to "read" people and know the evil things they have done...or are about to do.
David doubts the theory that he's a RealLife superhero, but the possibility leads to some deep self-examination. He begins to wonder whether it's possible that he's never been hurt in his life or if it's all coincidence and selective memory (and whether his alleged extra-sensory powers are all just in his imagination). David starts considering how the theory, if true, could affect his purpose in life and his family's failing happiness, especially after being the lone survivor of a train crash (both of which have already caused him deep depression). After all of that, David has to ask himself the most important question: is the risk he'll take to discover the truth worth it?
''Unbreakable'' has [[TwistEnding a hell of a ending]], and it's pretty much the only ending to a Shyamalan film that ''hasn't'' become an "ItWasHisSled" ending. If you haven't seen the movie yet, avert your eyes from the spoilers below and see it for yourself.
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!!This film provide examples of:
* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler:Elijah is confused that David almost drowns just like anyone else, until he remembers that every superhero needs a specific weakness.]]
* AdultFear: The scene when David's son [[spoiler:finds and loads his gun]]. Dear ''God.''
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Elijah]]
* AlliterativeName: David Dunn, most fittingly.
* AnimationAgeGhetto: In-universe. Elijah refuses to sell a rare piece of comic book art to a father who is only looking for a gift for his four-year-old son, rather than someone who would appreciate the work of art.
* AppropriatedAppellation: [[spoiler:Elijah takes his childhood nickname of "Mr. Glass" as his supervillain name. He lampshades this when he reveals it to David.]]
* AscendedFanboy: Elijah. He used to read tons of comics in his lonely childhood, [[spoiler:and became what is essentially a real-world supervillain]].
* AuthorAppeal: It was SamuelLJackson (himself a [[AscendedFanboy major]] [[MetaCasting comic book]] [[OneOfUs geek]]) who suggested that purple be the theme color for Elijah. This is because purple is Jackson's favorite color, and is also the reason why he uses a purple lightsaber in the ''StarWars'' prequels.
* BadassCape: Played with. [[spoiler:It's not a cape, it's a rain poncho, but it undeniably makes David look more badass during his first foray into superheroism.]]
* BaldOfAwesome: When Bruce Willis isn't asked to don a hairpiece, You know You're in for something good.
* BerserkButton: Don't ''ever'' suggest to Elijah that comic books are just for kids.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: David is a superhero now...but his friend and mentor Elijah is actually his fated arch nemesis and comitted to a mental instution. To make it even MORE bittersweet, Elijah is ''happy'' about this outcome, as he finally knows where he belongs in life.]]
* TheCape: [[spoiler:David is definitely this type of superhero. He even dons a rain poncho that [[SuperheroesWearCapes looks somewhat like a cape]]]].
** Underlined by a shot near the end of the film, [[spoiler:when David comes home after saving the two girls; he hangs his guard's poncho up and the camera lingers on the word SECURITY on the back.]]
* CheapCostume: A humble poncho. David still manages to make it look good, though, especially in the newspaper artist's recreation.
* ClarkKenting: Subverted; David has been unknowingly doing this his entire life, unaware of his true nature as TheHero.
** Played straight at the end though, only Elijah and Adam are aware of his secret as he accepts his destiny.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: A deliberate addition to the style of the film. Like comic book characters, many of the people David encounters wear a signature colour. David's is green. Elijah's is purple. And like ''TheSixthSense'' red has a very major symbolism in the train station.
** Also, whenever David senses someone has done or is planning to do something wrong, they are wearing bright colors or some other distinctive clothing that makes them stand out from the crowd.
** As shown in one of the behind the scenes features on the DVD, the wardrobe department played to this by having each character dress in more muted coloured versions of their outfits initially, with the colours becoming more vivid as their heroic/villainous aspects became more apparent.
* ComboPlatterPowers: [[spoiler:David has superhuman strength, is at least MadeOfIron if not NighInvulnerable, and can also see a person's evil deeds by touching them.]]
* ComesGreatResponsibility: Embraced by David, who [[spoiler:ended his sports career and started working as a security guard]] because he feels an urge to help and protect people.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: [[spoiler:[[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Elijah kills hundreds of people in order to find a real-life superhero, then convince him to follow TheCall.]]
* CreatorCameo: M Night Shyamalan plays a drug dealer.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: [[spoiler: Elijah]], almost literally.
* DeadSparks: David's marriage.
* {{Deconstruction}}: This shows us a very dark version of the idea of a superhero, and of someone being GenreSavvy.
* [[spoiler:EvilCripple]]
* ExecutiveMeddling: The reason this movie was directed and billed as a psychological thriller rather than a superhero origin story as Shyamalan originally intended. Arguably, this resulted in a more interesting and unique film.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Lots. Most notably every establishing shot of Elijah through his life being framed in a glass object (mirror, television, picture display panel) and his mother noting "They say this one has a surprise endin'!" Details like this make the movie equally entertaining during repeat viewings.
* GeniusCripple: Elijah. [[spoiler:[[EvilCripple Which is not a very good thing]]]].
* GenreDeconstruction: Deconstructed the "Real-world Superhero" long before that trope became popular.
* GenreSavvy: Elijah. [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy And his genre-savviness killed hundreds of people]]]].
* [[spoiler: HeelRealization: "I should've known way back when. You know why David? Because of the kids! They called me Mr. Glass."]]
* HeroicBystander: [[spoiler:The two kids who David rescues near the end of the film end up saving him from drowning.]] Definitely a crowner.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: David until he accepts [[TheCall the calling]].
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Elijah has this bad. Mostly due to his medical condition.
* ImmuneToBullets: Played for drama when David's son threatens to prove Elijah's theory while pointing a gun at David. [[spoiler: Ultimately an Aversion, since David manages to talk him out of it and we never learn what would have happened if David got shot.]]
* InfantImmortality: Horribly subverted. In a deleted scene, David asks a bishop about what happened, how he can be fine when his watch was crushed like it'd been hit by a sledgehammer. The bishop then angrily reveals that the kid on the train in front of David was his grandnephew... now remember the state of David's watch.
* IndecisiveMedium: With references to ComicBook visuals, by positioning the characters in door frames, and such.
* LanternJawOfJustice: When showing off a piece of comic book art to a prospective client, Elijah explains how the square jaw is common to superheroes, while supervillains have more pointed facial features. Later, [[spoiler: a sketch artists rendering of the the hero who saved the kids (David) is given a jawline to rival DickTracy]].
* LawOfConservationOfDetail: Like nearly all of his films, Shyamalan intricately controls almost every line of dialogue to have some significance. Listen carefully to the first scene between David and a train passenger, it all feels very natural but reveals a lot of current and future story elements.
* KryptoniteFactor: [[LampshadeHanging Explicitly]] acknowledged in the film, as every hero has some weakness.
* MadeOfIron: Justified with David.
* MadeOfPlasticine: Justified with Elijah.
* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler: Elijah declares himself 'Mister Glass', after the name the other kids used to call him due to his condition.]] It's a stark contrast to David, who pretty much assumes the name of the film with his 'power'.
* MetaCasting: [[Film/DieHard John McClane]] is Unbreakable, who knew?
* MyDadCanBeatUpYourDad: Made especially ironic/funny when Potter says this to Joseph, who turns away so Potter won't see his smirk because he knows what his dad can do. [[spoiler:And then it turns dark when Joseph nearly shoots David because [[ShootingSuperman he wants to know if it'll bounce off]].]]
* NighInvulnerability: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] by the movie. It leads to serious SurvivorsGuilt. With BruceWillis playing the hero it has added significance.
* TheOner: At least half the shots in the film; during several conversations the camera will pan between closeups rather than cutting.
* PaintingTheFourthWall: At one point, we switch scenes to find [[spoiler:David, Audrey, and Joseph in the kitchen. Joseph is pointing David's gun at his father. The audience has to figure out what happened and how Joseph got the gun despite their shock, just like David does.]]
* PlayingAgainstType: SamuelLJackson plays the near mirror-opposite of his previous roles: a weak, fragile, soft-spoken character.
* PsychicPowers: David can see people's evil deeds.
* SeriousBusiness: When Elijah is first seen as an adult, he is speaking about the artistic merit of a very valuable concept sketch for a comic character, and the customer says he'll take it. Elijah walks out while congratulating him on his purchase, but stops when the man remarks that "My kid's gonna go berserk." Elijah then [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech tears into the man]].
--> '''Elijah:''' Once again, please?
--> '''Customer:''' My son Jeb, it's a gift for him.
--> '''Elijah:''' How old is "Jeb?"
--> '''Customer:''' He's four.
--> '''Elijah:''' No. No, no, no, no, ''NO''. You need to go. Now.
--> '''Customer:''' W-What did I say?
--> '''Elijah:''' Do you see any {{Teletubbies}} here? Do you see a slender plastic tag clipped to my shirt with my name on it? Did you see a little Asian child with a blank expression sitting outside in a mechanical helicopter that shakes when you put quarters in it? No? Well, that's what you'd see at a toy store. And you ''must'' think you you're ''in'' a toy store, because you're here shopping for an infant named Jeb. Now, one of us has made a gross error, and wasted the other person's valuable time. This is an ''art gallery'', my friend, and ''this'' is a piece of ''art''.
* ShoutOut: Elijah's hairstyle is based on Frederick Douglas'
** Given the movie's comic book themes, there is a subtle one that is FridgeBrilliance on later viewings. As has been mentioned, the color theme that goes with Elijah is purple, and his office has a large Egyptian pictoral behind his chair, both of which are references to Ozymandias from {{Watchmen}}. It's FridgeBrilliance after you've seen both movies, and know that [[spoiler:both of them are actually secretly the villain of the work.]]
* SoleSurvivor: David, in a train wreck.
* {{Superhero}}: Deconstructed. Unrealized sequels could have been intended as a {{Reconstruction}}.
* SuperDrowningSkills: Played with. David has a phobia of water due to a childhood incident. [[spoiler:It's shown that David may be invulnerable, but he still requires oxygen, so he can drown just like anyone else.]]
* SuperStrength: Though it requires immense effort, helping explain why it wasn't realized before TheCall. The film never actually confirms the upper limits to David's strength: they run out of weights to put on the bar for him to lift and put several heavy objects on top of that. (A deleted scene shows the total in excess of 500lbs.) David wasn't aware of this, as he never pushed himself beyond what he thought he could do. It's almost StrongAsTheyNeedToBe.
** He's able to rip the door off a (crashed) car. With one hand.
** Leading one to believe he could be at least as strong as a hydraulic rescue tool (the Jaws of Life) which are capable of applying 10,000 PSI of pressure!
* ThisIsThePartWhere: "I think this is where we shake hands."
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: In-story, Elijah believes that the concept of the superhero, dating back to the epic heroes of the ancient world, was inspired by real-life people with superhuman qualities.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The Unbreakable Trilogy. However, not being such a success, it's just a stand alone story.
** [[WordOfGod M. Night]] has said he is waiting for the right script, then he will beg Disney to make the sequel.
** Which is a bit odd, since the film was expanded from just the first act of the original script, due to it being the only part of the story that Shyamalan felt any passion for.
** Besides, the trilogy's already done - 1) The Sixth Sense, 2) Unbreakable and 3) Signs.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Elijah Price. He wanted to give the world a hero and he did, no matter ''what it took''.
----
-> ''What if Superman was here on earth... but he didn't know he was Superman?''
->-- '''QuentinTarantino''''s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz4K-Rxx2Bk&feature=player_embedded suggestion of the movie's tagline]]
''Unbreakable'' is a PsychologicalThriller that's also a {{Deconstruction}} of the SuperHero genre. Directed by MNightShyamalan, the film stars BruceWillis as security guard David Dunn and SamuelLJackson as comic book art gallery owner Elijah Price.
''Unbreakable'' begins with the birth of Elijah, whose mother discovers that he has been born with ''osteogenesis imperfecta'' (which makes his bones as fragile as glass) and that he was born with broken arms and legs. The film then jumps to the present day where David, on his way home to Philadelphia from New York, ends up in a horrific train crash that kills everyone but him -- and David himself is perfectly healthy and unharmed.
Elijah makes contact with David and theorizes that if Elijah is on one end of the spectrum (frail and brittle), then there must be someone in the world who is on the other end of the spectrum -- and he believes David to be this person. In addition to being (allegedly) MadeOfIron, David also seems to have a subconscious ability to "read" people and know the evil things they have done...or are about to do.
David doubts the theory that he's a RealLife superhero, but the possibility leads to some deep self-examination. He begins to wonder whether it's possible that he's never been hurt in his life or if it's all coincidence and selective memory (and whether his alleged extra-sensory powers are all just in his imagination). David starts considering how the theory, if true, could affect his purpose in life and his family's failing happiness, especially after being the lone survivor of a train crash (both of which have already caused him deep depression). After all of that, David has to ask himself the most important question: is the risk he'll take to discover the truth worth it?
''Unbreakable'' has [[TwistEnding a hell of a ending]], and it's pretty much the only ending to a Shyamalan film that ''hasn't'' become an "ItWasHisSled" ending. If you haven't seen the movie yet, avert your eyes from the spoilers below and see it for yourself.
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!!This film provide examples of:
* AchillesHeel: [[spoiler:Elijah is confused that David almost drowns just like anyone else, until he remembers that every superhero needs a specific weakness.]]
* AdultFear: The scene when David's son [[spoiler:finds and loads his gun]]. Dear ''God.''
* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler: Elijah]]
* AlliterativeName: David Dunn, most fittingly.
* AnimationAgeGhetto: In-universe. Elijah refuses to sell a rare piece of comic book art to a father who is only looking for a gift for his four-year-old son, rather than someone who would appreciate the work of art.
* AppropriatedAppellation: [[spoiler:Elijah takes his childhood nickname of "Mr. Glass" as his supervillain name. He lampshades this when he reveals it to David.]]
* AscendedFanboy: Elijah. He used to read tons of comics in his lonely childhood, [[spoiler:and became what is essentially a real-world supervillain]].
* AuthorAppeal: It was SamuelLJackson (himself a [[AscendedFanboy major]] [[MetaCasting comic book]] [[OneOfUs geek]]) who suggested that purple be the theme color for Elijah. This is because purple is Jackson's favorite color, and is also the reason why he uses a purple lightsaber in the ''StarWars'' prequels.
* BadassCape: Played with. [[spoiler:It's not a cape, it's a rain poncho, but it undeniably makes David look more badass during his first foray into superheroism.]]
* BaldOfAwesome: When Bruce Willis isn't asked to don a hairpiece, You know You're in for something good.
* BerserkButton: Don't ''ever'' suggest to Elijah that comic books are just for kids.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: David is a superhero now...but his friend and mentor Elijah is actually his fated arch nemesis and comitted to a mental instution. To make it even MORE bittersweet, Elijah is ''happy'' about this outcome, as he finally knows where he belongs in life.]]
* TheCape: [[spoiler:David is definitely this type of superhero. He even dons a rain poncho that [[SuperheroesWearCapes looks somewhat like a cape]]]].
** Underlined by a shot near the end of the film, [[spoiler:when David comes home after saving the two girls; he hangs his guard's poncho up and the camera lingers on the word SECURITY on the back.]]
* CheapCostume: A humble poncho. David still manages to make it look good, though, especially in the newspaper artist's recreation.
* ClarkKenting: Subverted; David has been unknowingly doing this his entire life, unaware of his true nature as TheHero.
** Played straight at the end though, only Elijah and Adam are aware of his secret as he accepts his destiny.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: A deliberate addition to the style of the film. Like comic book characters, many of the people David encounters wear a signature colour. David's is green. Elijah's is purple. And like ''TheSixthSense'' red has a very major symbolism in the train station.
** Also, whenever David senses someone has done or is planning to do something wrong, they are wearing bright colors or some other distinctive clothing that makes them stand out from the crowd.
** As shown in one of the behind the scenes features on the DVD, the wardrobe department played to this by having each character dress in more muted coloured versions of their outfits initially, with the colours becoming more vivid as their heroic/villainous aspects became more apparent.
* ComboPlatterPowers: [[spoiler:David has superhuman strength, is at least MadeOfIron if not NighInvulnerable, and can also see a person's evil deeds by touching them.]]
* ComesGreatResponsibility: Embraced by David, who [[spoiler:ended his sports career and started working as a security guard]] because he feels an urge to help and protect people.
* CreateYourOwnVillain: [[spoiler:[[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. Elijah kills hundreds of people in order to find a real-life superhero, then convince him to follow TheCall.]]
* CreatorCameo: M Night Shyamalan plays a drug dealer.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: [[spoiler: Elijah]], almost literally.
* DeadSparks: David's marriage.
* {{Deconstruction}}: This shows us a very dark version of the idea of a superhero, and of someone being GenreSavvy.
* [[spoiler:EvilCripple]]
* ExecutiveMeddling: The reason this movie was directed and billed as a psychological thriller rather than a superhero origin story as Shyamalan originally intended. Arguably, this resulted in a more interesting and unique film.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Lots. Most notably every establishing shot of Elijah through his life being framed in a glass object (mirror, television, picture display panel) and his mother noting "They say this one has a surprise endin'!" Details like this make the movie equally entertaining during repeat viewings.
* GeniusCripple: Elijah. [[spoiler:[[EvilCripple Which is not a very good thing]]]].
* GenreDeconstruction: Deconstructed the "Real-world Superhero" long before that trope became popular.
* GenreSavvy: Elijah. [[spoiler:[[DangerouslyGenreSavvy And his genre-savviness killed hundreds of people]]]].
* [[spoiler: HeelRealization: "I should've known way back when. You know why David? Because of the kids! They called me Mr. Glass."]]
* HeroicBystander: [[spoiler:The two kids who David rescues near the end of the film end up saving him from drowning.]] Definitely a crowner.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: David until he accepts [[TheCall the calling]].
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Elijah has this bad. Mostly due to his medical condition.
* ImmuneToBullets: Played for drama when David's son threatens to prove Elijah's theory while pointing a gun at David. [[spoiler: Ultimately an Aversion, since David manages to talk him out of it and we never learn what would have happened if David got shot.]]
* InfantImmortality: Horribly subverted. In a deleted scene, David asks a bishop about what happened, how he can be fine when his watch was crushed like it'd been hit by a sledgehammer. The bishop then angrily reveals that the kid on the train in front of David was his grandnephew... now remember the state of David's watch.
* IndecisiveMedium: With references to ComicBook visuals, by positioning the characters in door frames, and such.
* LanternJawOfJustice: When showing off a piece of comic book art to a prospective client, Elijah explains how the square jaw is common to superheroes, while supervillains have more pointed facial features. Later, [[spoiler: a sketch artists rendering of the the hero who saved the kids (David) is given a jawline to rival DickTracy]].
* LawOfConservationOfDetail: Like nearly all of his films, Shyamalan intricately controls almost every line of dialogue to have some significance. Listen carefully to the first scene between David and a train passenger, it all feels very natural but reveals a lot of current and future story elements.
* KryptoniteFactor: [[LampshadeHanging Explicitly]] acknowledged in the film, as every hero has some weakness.
* MadeOfIron: Justified with David.
* MadeOfPlasticine: Justified with Elijah.
* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler: Elijah declares himself 'Mister Glass', after the name the other kids used to call him due to his condition.]] It's a stark contrast to David, who pretty much assumes the name of the film with his 'power'.
* MetaCasting: [[Film/DieHard John McClane]] is Unbreakable, who knew?
* MyDadCanBeatUpYourDad: Made especially ironic/funny when Potter says this to Joseph, who turns away so Potter won't see his smirk because he knows what his dad can do. [[spoiler:And then it turns dark when Joseph nearly shoots David because [[ShootingSuperman he wants to know if it'll bounce off]].]]
* NighInvulnerability: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] by the movie. It leads to serious SurvivorsGuilt. With BruceWillis playing the hero it has added significance.
* TheOner: At least half the shots in the film; during several conversations the camera will pan between closeups rather than cutting.
* PaintingTheFourthWall: At one point, we switch scenes to find [[spoiler:David, Audrey, and Joseph in the kitchen. Joseph is pointing David's gun at his father. The audience has to figure out what happened and how Joseph got the gun despite their shock, just like David does.]]
* PlayingAgainstType: SamuelLJackson plays the near mirror-opposite of his previous roles: a weak, fragile, soft-spoken character.
* PsychicPowers: David can see people's evil deeds.
* SeriousBusiness: When Elijah is first seen as an adult, he is speaking about the artistic merit of a very valuable concept sketch for a comic character, and the customer says he'll take it. Elijah walks out while congratulating him on his purchase, but stops when the man remarks that "My kid's gonna go berserk." Elijah then [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech tears into the man]].
--> '''Elijah:''' Once again, please?
--> '''Customer:''' My son Jeb, it's a gift for him.
--> '''Elijah:''' How old is "Jeb?"
--> '''Customer:''' He's four.
--> '''Elijah:''' No. No, no, no, no, ''NO''. You need to go. Now.
--> '''Customer:''' W-What did I say?
--> '''Elijah:''' Do you see any {{Teletubbies}} here? Do you see a slender plastic tag clipped to my shirt with my name on it? Did you see a little Asian child with a blank expression sitting outside in a mechanical helicopter that shakes when you put quarters in it? No? Well, that's what you'd see at a toy store. And you ''must'' think you you're ''in'' a toy store, because you're here shopping for an infant named Jeb. Now, one of us has made a gross error, and wasted the other person's valuable time. This is an ''art gallery'', my friend, and ''this'' is a piece of ''art''.
* ShoutOut: Elijah's hairstyle is based on Frederick Douglas'
** Given the movie's comic book themes, there is a subtle one that is FridgeBrilliance on later viewings. As has been mentioned, the color theme that goes with Elijah is purple, and his office has a large Egyptian pictoral behind his chair, both of which are references to Ozymandias from {{Watchmen}}. It's FridgeBrilliance after you've seen both movies, and know that [[spoiler:both of them are actually secretly the villain of the work.]]
* SoleSurvivor: David, in a train wreck.
* {{Superhero}}: Deconstructed. Unrealized sequels could have been intended as a {{Reconstruction}}.
* SuperDrowningSkills: Played with. David has a phobia of water due to a childhood incident. [[spoiler:It's shown that David may be invulnerable, but he still requires oxygen, so he can drown just like anyone else.]]
* SuperStrength: Though it requires immense effort, helping explain why it wasn't realized before TheCall. The film never actually confirms the upper limits to David's strength: they run out of weights to put on the bar for him to lift and put several heavy objects on top of that. (A deleted scene shows the total in excess of 500lbs.) David wasn't aware of this, as he never pushed himself beyond what he thought he could do. It's almost StrongAsTheyNeedToBe.
** He's able to rip the door off a (crashed) car. With one hand.
** Leading one to believe he could be at least as strong as a hydraulic rescue tool (the Jaws of Life) which are capable of applying 10,000 PSI of pressure!
* ThisIsThePartWhere: "I think this is where we shake hands."
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: In-story, Elijah believes that the concept of the superhero, dating back to the epic heroes of the ancient world, was inspired by real-life people with superhuman qualities.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The Unbreakable Trilogy. However, not being such a success, it's just a stand alone story.
** [[WordOfGod M. Night]] has said he is waiting for the right script, then he will beg Disney to make the sequel.
** Which is a bit odd, since the film was expanded from just the first act of the original script, due to it being the only part of the story that Shyamalan felt any passion for.
** Besides, the trilogy's already done - 1) The Sixth Sense, 2) Unbreakable and 3) Signs.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Elijah Price. He wanted to give the world a hero and he did, no matter ''what it took''.
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