When Unbreakable was released; Bruce Willis confirmed that the film was the first in a proposed trilogy. Viewed in that context; this is a tantalizing and audaciously low-key thriller; with a plot that twists in several intriguing and unexpected directions. Standing alone; however; this somber; deliberately paced film requires patient leaps of faith--not altogether surprising; since this is writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's daring follow-up to The Sixth Sense. While just as assured as that earlier; phenomenal hit; Unbreakable is the work of a filmmaker whose skill exceeds his maturity; its confident style serving a story that borders on juvenile. However; Shyamalan's basic premise--that comic books are the primary conduit of modern mythology--is handled with substantial relevance.

Willis plays a Philadelphia security guard whose marriage is on the verge of failing when he becomes the sole; unscathed survivor of a devastating train wreck. When prompted by a mysterious; brittle-boned connoisseur of comic books (Samuel L. Jackson); he realizes that he's been free of illness and injury his entire life; lending credence to Jackson's theory that superheroes--and villains--exist in reality; and that Willis himself possesses extraordinary powers. Shyamalan presents these revelations with matter-of-fact gravity; and he draws performances (including those of Robin Wright Penn and Spencer Treat Clark; as Willis's wife and son) that are uniformly superb. The film's climactic revelation may strike some as ultimately silly and trivial; but if you're on Shyamalan's wavelength; the entire film will assume a greater degree of success and achievement. --Jeff Shannon