History Film / Unbroken

* AHeroToHisHometown: Due to the sheer amount of war hero stories that emerged in the aftermath of World War II, not many people outside of Zamperini's hometown of Torrance, California, were aware of his story prior to the release of Laura Hillenbrand's novel or the film. However, almost every resident of Torrance knows his story and name, and he is absolutely loved and revered by the city [[note]](his alma mater, Torrance High School's football field is named Zamperini Stadium, his childhood home at 2028 Gramercy Avenue has been restored by the city's Save Historic Old Torrance coalition and operates tours of the home, the Torrance Historical Society proudly boasts the largest collection of Zamperini memorabilia open to the public including his WWII-issued death certificate, and the tiny public airport based in southwest Torrance's official name is Zamperini Field, where his public memorial was held after his passing)[[/note]] the residents of the town highly anticipated the film's release, including honoring him posthumously in the city's float during the 2015 Rose Parade.

* AHeroToHisHometown: Due to the sheer amount of war hero stories that emerged in the aftermath of World War II, not many people outside of Zamperini's hometown of Torrance, California, were aware of his story prior to the release of Laura Hillenbrand's novel or the film. However, almost every resident of Torrance knows his story and name, and he is absolutely loved and revered by the city (his alma mater, Torrance High School's football field is named Zamperini Stadium, his childhood home at 2028 Gramercy Avenue has been restored by the city's Save Historic Old Torrance coalition and operates tours of the home, the Torrance Historical Society proudly boasts the largest collection of Zamperini memorabilia open to the public including his WWII-issued death certificate, and the tiny public airport based in southwest Torrance's official name is Zamperini Field, where his public memorial was held after his passing) the residents of the town highly anticipated the film's release, including honoring him posthumously in the city's float during the 2015 Rose Parade.

This film marks the second feature directed by actress Creator/AngelinaJolie, who had a very professional creative team behind: the Creator/CoenBrothers writing the script, Roger Deakins doing the cinematography, Creator/AlexandreDesplat composing, Music/{{Coldplay}} for an AwardBaitSong and special effects by IndustrialLightAndMagic. Deakins was nominated for the twelfth time -- and didn't win again -- with other 2 nominations for the film, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, in the 2015 UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s.

** The first thing Zamperini notices about Commander Fitzgerald is that his fingernails have been torn out. Fitzgerald just says that [[{{Badass}} they didn't get the answers they wanted]].

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Slightly played with. The film premiered in the United States on Christmas Day, and Louis Zamperini died in July of that year. However, Angelina Jolie showed him the final cut of the movie prior to his death.

* KarmaHoudini: Watanabe, [[CruelMercy despite having his pride broken by Zamperini through resisting his torturing methods]].

* FreudianExcuse: Zamperini's relationship with Watanabe closes off with visiting his living quarters after his disappearence at the end of the war, and he sees a picture of Watanabe with his father, neither of them looking happy. In fact, part of the reason for Watanabe's cruelty was his upbringing in a wealthy military family, and that he was the only son to fail in the officer school.

''Unbroken'' is a 2014 film released by Creator/{{Universal}} and produced by Creator/LegendaryPictures that tells the story of Olympic athlete Louie Zamperini's (Creator/JackOConnell) RealLife account in the SecondWorldWar where he stranded in the Pacific Ocean for 47 days along with survivor Russell Phillips (Creator/DomhnallGleeson) and was consequently captured and sent to two Japanese Prisoner of War camps under the brutal and interested watch of Corporal Mutsushiro Watanabe (Music/{{Miyavi}}) -- nicknamed "The Bird" -- until the end of the war in 1945.

** For the Japanese, there's the iconic [[=A6M=]] Zero fighter.

* ConspicuousCG: At times the sharks fall into this.

* SmugSnake: Watanabe.

''Unbroken'' is a 2014 film released by Creator/{{Universal}} and produced by Creator/LegendaryPictures that tells the story of Olympic athlete Louie Zamperini's (Jack O'Connell) RealLife account in the SecondWorldWar where he stranded in the Pacific Ocean for 47 days along with survivor Russell Phillips (Creator/DomhnallGleeson) and was consequently captured and sent to two Japanese Prisoner of War camps under the brutal and interested watch of Corporal Mutsushiro Watanabe (Music/{{Miyavi}}) -- nicknamed "The Bird" -- until the end of the war in 1945.

The film also stars Jai Courtney, Creator/GarrettHedlund and Finn Wittrock.

* FakeAmerican: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, and Jai Courtney. Impressively, none of their accents ever slip. O'Connell even pulls off Zamperini's California-accented GratuitousItalian convincingly.

* IronWoobie: Zamperini. The title says it all.

--> ''Why do you call him the Bird?''
--> ''Because he listens, and he'd kill us all if he knew what we really like to call him.''

* SoftSpokenSadist: Watanabe.

* VillainousBreakdown: Always-smug Watanabe seems to break down near the end, when injured and malnourished Zamperini doesn't drop the 150lb railroad tie after implied hours of torment, until Watanabe savagely beats him before defeatedly falling to his knees, his pride shattered, Zamperini's defiance.

** The first thing Zamperini notices about Commander Fitzgerald is that his fingernails have been torn out. Fitzgerald just says that they didn't get the answers they wanted.

* GratuitousItalian: Zamperini in his adulthood. Though justified that he is of Italian ancestry.