Unbroken Review

Cayla Vanderzanden, Staff Writier

A new movie came out in the United States on December 25th, 2014. It lasted two hours and 17 minutes and was rated PG-13. Angelina Jolie directed it because of how much “Louie” Zamperini’s story inspired her. Zamperini died recently in 2014, at age 97, but this movie allows his legacy to live on. The movie is a true story about his life and the obstacles he overcame. As a young boy he was always getting in trouble and putting shame to his well respected parents. His older brother, trying to help him, introduced him to running. He put all of his time and effort into this sport and excelled at it. Louie became so good that he was able to go to the 1936 Olympics. He was the first American to finish in his event! Later on, Louie joined the military during Worla War II. Unfortunately, his plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean, stranding him and two other men. Louie and one of the men were able to survive 47 days on their raft before a Japanese boat found them and took them hostage. They were sent to a POW camp along with many others like them. Once he was in the camp, the prison commander, nicknamed the Bird, choose him as a target of mockery and torment. Once America won the war, Louie and many others were freed. He later became an inspirational Christian speaker, thanking God for his miraculous survival. Zamperini was able to go to the Tokyo Olympics at age 80 and carry the torch. A 9th grade student, Christopher Philmon, said “It was an eye opener of the troubles soldiers go through. At the same time, it was also inspiring because it showed a person who achieved so many things because of how hard he tried”.