314 – Unbreakable

What this episode covers

After the smash box office success and surprise Oscar nominations of The Sixth Sense, M. Night Shyamalan delivered a follow-up in short order. With a mysterious trailer, Unbreakable reunited Shyamalan with Bruce Willis for another genre exercise, this time involving a man who survives a train crash without any injuries. Samuel L. Jackson co-headlines as a frail man with ideas about what makes Willis’ character so special, and the film help cement Shyamalan’s reputation with audiences as a twist guy. But after the widespread affection for The Sixth Sense, this film proved to be something too dark and obscure for audiences. This episode, we talk about Shyamalan’s work and this film’s slightly ahead-of-the-curve look at comic book culture. We also talk about the film’s marketing, Willis and Jackson’s underrated performances, and Willis’ star persona in the 1990s. Topics also include the Unbreakable sequels, James Newton Howard’s score, and 2000 Original Screenplay. Follow Us on Twitter!@Had_Oscar_BuzzJoe: @joereidChris: @chrisvfeil