This seems to be a recurring thing with me. I generally don't see eye-to-eye with professional critics. I thought that this film was fantastic (not perfect) but also the fact that it was based on true events makes it even more special to me.
I had read the book as well and thought it was a pretty decent adaptation from page to screen. They did skip a vast majority of the religious overtones that are extremely present in the actual book (and life of the main character) but this is understandable because: Hollywood.
While i want to be a spoiler-free as possible, this film follows mostly Louis "Louie" Zamperini (played brilliantly by Jack O'Connell) in his life first as an Olympic runner and later as a member of a bombing crew in World War 2. They were actually on a search and rescue mission when their highly inadequate plane crashes into the ocean.
They drift and are eventually taken to a Japanese P.O.W. camp, where a vast majority of the tales of abuse take place. People tend to not speak much about the Japanese side of WW2 aside from the bomb, but well, there was a lot more to it than that.
This movie is a triumphant tale of courage, survival, brotherhood, and eventually forgiveness. It is quite touching and also has plenty of action to keep things moving. The stranded at sea sequences are particularly gripping (but mostly because I have a profound fear of being stranded at sea.)
I didn't know this going into the movie, but it is actually directed by none other than Angelina Jolie. I have no idea if she had directed previous to this but I say bravo Angelina; well done.
Do you agree with the critics and think this movie isn't that great? If so, I would be interested in hearing why because I can find no fault with it. It won a bunch of minor awards and turned a respectable profit at the box office.
