A Sam Jackson Classic Is Getting A Gorgeous Restoration
One of Sam Jackson's best is about to get a quality restoration.
This article is more than 2 years old
There is nothing wrong with a good clean-up and that’s exactly what one of Sam Jackson’s movies is about to get. Unbreakable, the 2000 M. Night Shyamalan thriller and the first film in the Eastrail 177 trilogy, is getting the 4k treatment. Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution recently announced that the film will be getting a physical 4k Ultra HD restoration as well as a digital 4k version and both will be released on September 21, 2021.
The release of Shyamalan’s initial entry into the Unbreakable series joins the latter two films, Shyamalan’s Split (2016) and the conclusion of the series, Glass (2019), both of which having been released on the 4k Ultra HD format.
The Ultimate Collector’s Edition, which Disney Media is labeling it, will feature Sam Jackson’s Unbreakable in HDR10 high dynamic range and audio in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. It will also feature English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital. The restoration will also include subtitles that will be available in English SDH, Spanish, and French.
Of course, for one to take advantage of this beautiful restoration of the Sam Jackson classic, one must also have a 4k television set. The physical disc will also offer a number of extras to include deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, a first fight sequence explained by Shyamalan, and storyboards from the train station sequence.
Unbreakable stars Bruce Willis as David Dunn, a security guard who works at a college stadium who is first seen riding home on a train. The train is involved in a horrific accident that kills 130 passengers, but Dunn survives completely unscathed.
After attending the memorial for the deceased train passengers, Dunn finds a note on his car windshield asking him if he’s ever been ill and also an invitation to an art gallery called “Limited Edition.” The gallery is run by comic book expert Elijah Price (Sam Jackson).
As time goes on, Dunn begins to realize that no, he’s never been sick and after giving it even more thought, he’s never been hurt at any point in his life. When Dunn takes his young son with him to meet Sam Jackson’s Price, he is told by Price that he suffers from a rare condition called brittle bone disease, resulting in his bones breaking easily.
But Elijah Price is an obsessed man. He is on the hunt for his belief – that superheroes exist and he feels David Dunn is a superhero with extraordinary gifts. Dunn counters with a story of his childhood where he almost drowns. Price informs Dunn that all superheroes have a weakness and Dunn’s just might be water.
Dunn (Bruce Willis) doesn’t believe Price (Sam Jackson), but Dunn’s son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) does. Together they test the limits of Dunn’s abilities, which there doesn’t seem to be an end to.
As Dunn begins to understand what he is, he also finds out that he has the ability to pick out dangerous people in a crowd. His extrasensory perception, used by touch, allows him to see the bad in people. It leads him to the janitor, a very bad man who has invaded a family home, killing the father and holding the mother and two children captive.
Wearing a raincoat as his disguise, Dunn follows the janitor to help save the woman and her children. He is able to free the kids and has a showdown with the evil janitor, but not before the janitor kills the mother. Dunn finds out during this battle that Sam Jackson’s Elijah Price was right: water is Dunn’s weakness as the janitor almost kills him by pushing him into a swimming pool.
Dunn goes back to Price to explain all that has happened, which doesn’t seem to surprise Price. When he asks Dunn to shake his hand, everything is revealed, and the supervillain Mr. Glass is born.
Unbreakable is oft considered one of the best comic book movies to be made. It is definitely considered one of Shyamalan’s best films. Although the film was a success, it took Shyamalan 17 years before he would release Split, another excellent film highlighted by James McAvoy’s amazing performance along with the introduction of “The Beast” and would tie into Sam Jackson’s Unbreakable with the brief cameo appearance of Bruce Willis in the waning moments of the film.
Glass would follow two years later in 2019 and bring back Sam Jackson as Mr. Glass along with Bruce Willis and James McAvoy.
As for Sam Jackson, it was just another one of his many great performances throughout his career. He makes one want to feel for Mr. Glass and the cards he was dealt but at the same time despise him for the terror and death he’s caused.
Over his illustrious career, Sam Jackson has performed in over 100 films. Too many to list, but there are some highlights such as Pulp Fiction (with Bruce Willis), Die Hard with a Vengeance (Bruce Willis again), A Time to Kill, Shaft, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Snakes on a Plane, Black Snake Moan, and of course, all things Marvel.
Sam Jackson has been seen lately in Spiral: From the Book of Saw, a horror film that continues the Saw story, and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. Up next for Jackson is The Protégé and Marvel’s Secret Invasion, a series coming to Disney+ that sees Jackson’s return as Nick Fury.
Do yourself a favor. When Unbreakable is released on 4kUltra HD on September 21, 2021, pick yourself up a copy. The look will be as amazing as the film.
