Unbroken was released in theaters on Christmas day of 2014. It was produced and directed by Angelina Jolie and is based on the 2010 non-fiction book by Lauren Hillenbrand. This film portrays the journey of Louis Zamperinin, an Olympic athlete who became a  prisoner of war (POW) in World War II.

The movie begins with Zamperini and his crew flying over seas in a badly damaged,World War II airplane and then transitions into his younger years of being an Italian-American in Torrance, California. Zamperini’s constant trouble with authority is what partly inspired him to run. This eventually lead to Zamperini’s older brother getting him involved in running  track at school. Zamperini accomplished so much in just his high school years and this guided him to his acceptance into the 1936 Olympic team. The 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany was where Zamperini came in 8th place and set a record speed of 56 seconds for a 5000 meter race.

The movie then comes back to the plane and the crash that changed Zamperini’s life forever. The plane’s engine failed, leaving Zamperini and two other survivors, Phil and Mac, stranded in the middle of the sea for forty-seven days on a raft. On the forty-seventh day, with only Zamperini and Phil alive, they were rescued or so they thought. Japanese forces captured the two, eventually separating them and stickin Zameprini into a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The movie followed Zamperini as he is tormented by the leader of the camp, Mutsuhiro “Bird” Watanabe. The movie continues into the struggles and cruelty that Zamperini endures while a P.O.W for a year and then parades into his safe homecoming.

This film represents the hardships and challenges that an American hero had to endure in order to stay true to his country. It is definitely a must see and will inspire all ages. Louis Zamperini holds a humble and motivational legacy that is successfully demonstrated in this film.