Synopsis: Biopic about Louis Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) an olympic runner and American Airforce bombardier in the second world war who survived days at sea in a life raft only to be picked up by the Japanese army and interned in a prisoner of war camp where he was brutally picked on by one prison guard.
Stan's thoughts: When you list all the things Louis went through and there is a shark attack in there it seems almost unreal and perhaps that is part of the problem, the film sometimes feels relentless like you are sitting ticking off the key moments shown in the trailer.
After a particularly clunky first act it does find its feet once Louis begins to form bonds with his fellow survivors. Jack O'Connell who plays Louis is my screen star of 2014 (Starred Up, '71) and an actor I can't wait to see what he does next. He makes this film for me. He has an amazing screen presence and has so much going on behind his eyes you could ditch his scant script entirely and he'd still tell the story brilliantly.
But despite his star turn the film ends up feeling like it is in awe of Louis leaving little room for the audience to feel that for themselves.
Ratings
- Stan’s 55%
- IMDB 72%
- Metascore 59%
- Rotten Tomatoes 51%
- RT Audience Rating* 77%
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