If you see any movies this year, please add this one to your list – Unbroken Legacy of Faith Edition from FishFlix.com, The Unbelievable True Story of Louis Zamperini. I do not think that my words will do this story justice, but here goes…
Unbroken
This movie in NOT rated, (stated on the front of the case – “This edited version contains material different from the original theatrical version) but if I had to rate it, I would say it sits at a Strong PG-13 type of movie. We watched both of the DVDs sent to us.
The Movie
The movie shows us a time in Louis “Louie” Zamperini’s life. We start at the beginning (isn’t usually the best place to start, lol) when Louie is a young boy. He is without a doubt a delinquent in the making, he smokes, drinks, steals, and runs from the cops all the time. With some push from his older brother he sets up to make the track team at school. His older brother Peter, told him, “If you can take it, You can make it.” This message proved to help him numerous times throughout his life.
We see Louie become an Olympian runner that blew apart numerous world records. He even got to meet the up and coming Adolf Hitler after one race in the 1936 Olympics. He was in top form during this time in his life.
The next chapter of Louie’s life shows him in the military fighting in World War 2. He was a Master Bomber during his stint in the military and do to his position he was also on the search and rescue missions. One such search and rescue mission is when he ended up crashing into the South Pacific Sea and left to drift for 47 days. Amazingly he was rescued but the unfortunate part is he was rescued by the Japanese.
We watched as he became a Prisoner of War and the atrocities that he had to endure. First in a tiny cell in an information type camp, then moved to a concentration camp, and lastly in a work camp. None of these were any better than the previous places. Louie was beaten and starved, again and again. This man’s life is a true testament of strength, because Louie came home.
The Extras
The extras that were given in this DVD were so amazing and the completed the story of Louie Zamperini. These extras were some interviews that Louie gave throughout his later years. They gave more depth to the original movie and to the man himself. He spoke about his life after he got home and incredibly hard it was. How he got married and had a child but his life was a complete disaster. About the nightmares he had and the revenge he held in his heart.
Then he spoke about going to see a young evangelist in town, named Billy Graham, and how the words he preached finally touched him deep inside. The interviews go on to show how much Louie’s life was transformed by his acceptance of Jesus Christ. And how he then spent the next 40 years living his life fully in Christ.
My Thoughts
I have cut back through the years and try to monitor the language in films that we watch, especially with our children. There are some curse words in this movie, at least curse words in my book. Just a heads up if this is an issue for you as well.
Again, I have to say, if you see no other movie you must take the time to watch this one. I was moved to tears numerous times. Now, if you know me at all I am an empathetic and sympathetic person, so this movie did quiet a number on my emotions.
I am flabbergasted at the horrors that Mr. Zamperini endured in his life. There is no question in my mind that God had a plan for him from the very beginning. Louie survived some of the worst things that a human being can endure and amazingly, in the end, he was able to share his story of faith with the world.
His story is one that should be in every history book. The spectacular transformation of his life alone is so encouraging.
I am blessed that I was able to share this story with my teenage son. These are the types of stories that young men of today’s world need to see more of. That there is a God that sees you and has a plan for you, that will take care of you in the worst situations. A true story of faith.
There were some scenes in this movie that brought my son to tears, even though I believe my son to be an emotional young man, some of the scenes were heart breaking. That a human can treat another human so cruelly is a tough bit of information for anyone to swallow.
Overall, this was an incredible film and I would recommend it to anyone. The strength and faith of Louie Zamperini would encourage even the most hardened heart.
FishFlix.com shared a bunch of different films with the Crew – go see what others reviewed by clicking the link below.
Follow FishFlix.com on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fishflix
Twitter: https://twitter.com/christiandvd
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fishflix/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Fishflix/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/familychristianmovie
I hope you enjoyed this review and it was helpful for you. Please check back often to see what the kids and I have been up to. You can also sign up to revive my emails so you never miss a post from the blog.
Sign Up Here: http://madmimi.com/signups/121535/join
In His Grace.
Callie
Leave a Reply