The Unbroken movie follows the incredible true story of Louis "Louie" Zamperini, an American Olympic distance runner and lieutenant in World War II who was captured by Japanese troops and forced to spend four years as a prisoner of war. Zamperini's story is irresistibly inspirational, prompting the Coen brothers to write Unbroken about his journey. Zamperini's story is so incredible that there are now two more films about his life, Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018) and Captured by Grace (2015).

Zamperini's story is what makes the Unbroken movie one of the best World War II movies out there. His journey from Olympic runner to prisoner of war, to Christian evangelist and mentor for at-risk youth, is so unique and broad that it almost seems made for the movies. For the most part, the 2014 adaptation does a great job of conveying his story accurately and completely, though there are some discrepancies between Zamperini's real life and the Unbroken movie.

Louie Zamperini's Distance Running History & Real-Life 1936 Olympics Record Explained

The Unbroken Movie Provides An Accurate Snapshot Of Zemperini's Athletic Career

Louie began running when he was in high school after his older brother, Pete, convinced him to the track team in order to keep him out of trouble. Zamperini wasn't a star immediately, but he became obsessed with running, and by the end of his high school career, he was a star and held multiple state records. He was given a scholarship to the University of Southern California where he continued to excel and eventually decided to try out for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. At just 19 years old he qualified for the 5,000-meter race in the 1936 Olympics.

Zamperini finished 8th at the Olympics, but his final lap of 56 seconds set a record for the fastest lap in a 5,000-meter race. Notably, his fast finish was noticed from the stands by Adolf Hitler, who called Zamperini over to his stand and congratulated him on his speedy final lap. Unbroken, one of the Coen brothers' best movies, does not tell this entire story, but it does show Zamperini being pulled into running by his brother, and his famous finish at the Olympics. The Unbroken movie is largely accurate in of the events it shows, but it does leave out most of this story.

Louie & Russell Phillips Survived On A Raft For 47 Days After Their Plane Crashed In World War II

The Pair Becoming Stranded Is A Key Source Of Tension In Unbroken

Louie Zamperini was a bombardier on a faulty B-24 bomber that crashed in the Pacific Ocean in May 1943. The bomber carried 11 people, but only three survived: Louie Zamperini, Russell Allen Phillips, and Francis McNamara. Louie and his companions survived by salvaging two emergency rafts. They ate raw fish and small birds and drank only rainwater.

The group was attacked by sharks numerous times and the rafts were almost capsized by a storm. Francis McNamara sadly perished after 33 days at sea, but Zamperini and Phillips were able to survive for 47 days until they reached the Marshall Islands, where they were promptly taken prisoner by the Japanese.

A key deviation from the true story comes when Unbroken depicts Zamperini and Phillips being located by Japanese sailors in the open water, rather than finding their way to the Marshall Islands as they did in real life.

The Unbroken movie gets much of this terrible experience right. However, a key deviation from the true story comes when Unbroken depicts Zamperini and Phillips being located by Japanese sailors in the open water, rather than finding their way to the Marshall Islands as they did in real life.

Unbroken does well to show how brutal the conditions were, but pacing restrictions prevented the film from conveying just how long 47 days at sea is. Even so, Unbroken does a good overall job of accurately depicting real-life events and conditions, ensuring it stays off the list of World War II movies that ignore realism.

The Real Louie Was Taken As A Prisoner Of War To Four Japanese Camps

Only One Camp Wasn't Shown In The Unbroken Movie

After Louie Zamperini was taken prisoner, he was initially kept at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, before being shipped to Japan. There he was a prisoner at Ofuna, a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camp made for captives who were not ed prisoners of war. He was then sent to the Omori POW camp in Tokyo before finally ending up at the Naoetsu POW camp in northern Japan.

During this time he was interrogated for secrets about American bombers, and often abused by the infamous prison guard, Mutsuhiro Watanabe. Unbroken, one of the most underrated World War II movies, depicts all of these camps except for Ofuna.

As the Unbroken movie showed, Japanese POW camps in World War II were notoriously cruel, and Zamperini was treated even worse than the average prisoner because of his status as an Olympic athlete. During his time in these camps, Zamperini was constantly on the brink of starvation and was beaten severely. Despite that, Zamperini is said to have written Italian recipes for his fellow prisoners to help keep their spirits up. This emphasizes the meaning of Unbroken's title and shows that Zamperini had a caring heart regardless of the abuse and torture he suffered.

Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe Brutally Tortured Louie In POW Camps

The Brutal Antagonist In Unbroken Existed In Real Life

Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe targeted and brutally tortured Louie in two of the POW camps he spent time in, just like Unbroken depicts. Watanabe was eventually named a war criminal for his treatment of prisoners, including Zamperini. However, Watanabe disappeared at the end of the war and was never prosecuted.

Zamperini has described the plethora of beatings Watanabe gave him and other prisoners. Watanabe reportedly had a special hatred for Louie because of his status as an Olympian, which caused him to beat Louie more than other prisoners. The charges against Watanabe were eventually dropped, and he was allowed to return to civilian life.

What Happened To Louie Zamperini After World War II

Zamperini's Story Continued After The Events Of Unbroken

The Unbroken movie didn't show much of Zamperini's life after the War, though the Allie's victory was far from the end of his struggles. After World War II, Louie Zamperini lived with severe PTSD which led him to become an alcoholic. He struggled for years after his return from the war but found comfort in religion when his wife, Cynthia, convinced him to attend one of Billy Graham's evangelist crusades.

This experience changed Louie and helped him get over his nightmares and PTSD. Zamperini went on to become an evangelist himself, often preaching about the value of forgiveness. Louie even visited several of the guards who mistreated him during his time as a POW and told them he had forgiven them.

Zamperini inspired many people with his story and went on to have a long and successful life. He and Cynthia had two children together. In 1998, Zamperini was given the honor of running a leg of the Olympic Torch Relay before the Winter Olympic Games in Japan. While in Japan, Louie tried to make with Mutsuhiro Watanabe, but Watanabe refused to meet with him. Unbroken's Louie Zamperini died in 2014 at the incredible age of 97.

Where Unbroken Ranks Among World War II Movies

The 2014 Movie Is Thoroughly Under-Recognized

2014's Unbroken is arguably one of the most underrated World War II movies. While it received middling reviews from critics, the Unbroken true story of Louie Zamperini's incredible experiences, not to mention the near-superhuman levels of endurance he displayed by persevering through them, deserved much more attention than they got. Unbroken was nominated for a handful of awards, though ultimately failed to gain the recognition that many other movies depicting WWII seem to enjoy.

There are many movies set in WWII that are considered among the greatest films of all time. The likes of Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List, for example, are viewed by many as true cinematic achievements. There are also lesser-known WWII films, such as The Pianist, that aren't as widely known but still regularly cited by historians as incredibly important portrayals of the harrowing reality faced by almost everyone during the war — whether on the front lines or at the hands of the Axis powers in various internment camps like those Zamperini found himself in in Unbroken.

Unbroken isn't seen by many as being on the same level as Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, The Pianist, or other WWII movies like Downfall or even action-oriented war movies such as Enemy at the Gates. However, this doesn't mean it's a bad film, and it's definitely deserving of much more recognition than it received.

Louie Zamperini's true story has many moments that almost defy belief, and this makes The Unbroken movie a truly unique watch. What's more, few other WWII movies can claim to have the same depth when it comes to being intricate character studies of just how much a single person can endure. This is where Unbroken truly stands out, and the key reason there is a solid argument for it warranting more recognition than it received.