It seems fitting that 2014 should come to a close with the film “Unbroken.” It’s been a tough year; but difficulty, like beauty, resides in the eye of the beholder.

This film holds a special significance to me and my family. Similar to Louis Zamperini, the main character of “Unbroken,” my paternal grandfather, Alfred Gerstner, rose to fight for his country during World War II. Like Zamperini, my grandfather served in a bomber and was eventually captured and lived as a prisoner of war — enduring untold hardships under the yoke of Imperial Japan. Unfortunately, my grandfather died when I was very young, but his memory and his story have long been a source of great pride for my family and a never-ending source of inspiration for me personally.

While the subject matter of “Unbroken” is powerful the cinematic execution is, ironically, somewhat broken. The most notable shortfall is a distinct lack of punctuation. Much like writing, film needs to be organized in a reasonable manner and needs to be punctuated to aid watchability and to add emphasis. A lack of dramatic punctuation has the same effect as a run-on sentence in writing — everything starts blurring together. When no particular part is stronger than any other, the film doesn’t develop the rise and fall that builds dramatic tension and eventually leads to catharsis, or emotional payoff.

Furthermore, the musical score of “Unbroken” is unremarkable, at best. After rewatching the trailer, the musical chops are there. The final audio mix, however, left a lot of opportunity on the cutting room floor. Music, especially in dramatic films like this, is very closely tied to emotion. So often, the most powerful course of action is to have the music mirror the dramatic tension and rise and fall — to take both backstage and the spotlight when necessary. I never felt a musical surge in “Unbroken,” which is a reinforcement that this is story very much needed, and deserved. Instead, the music always seemed to linger in the shadows.

All said, “Unbroken” has the makings of a very great film, but the directing, editing, writing and composing all fell short in their respective departments. The result of which is a film that never quite hits the high tide and never quite fills its sails with enough wind to carry it over that final horizon into greatness. Instead, it languishes in the shallows taking the safe road when it should have been taking risks. Do not misunderstand, “Unbroken” has at its core, a very powerful and inspiring story; however, its cinematic telling isn’t made of the same strength as its namesake Louis Zamperini.

4 of 6 stars