In 1942, during WWII, a plane crashes into the ocean. Eight members of the crew die and only three survive for 47 days in a lifeboat – among them Louis Zamperini, an American Olympic athlete. They are then captured by the Japanese navy and transferred to a prison camp, where Zamperini is tortured for two years.

Picture gallery

Produced and directed by Angelina Jolie, her second movie is just as committed as the first (The Land of Blood and Honey). Jolie this time takes on the adaptation of a true story, that of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini. Behind the character brilliantly played by British actor Jack O'Connell (from the TV series Skins), lies the glorification of courage, patriotism, and above the idea that one can overcome one’s own limits. It is a big budget production with a pompous soundtrack that unnecessarily underscores the drama of the story. On a positive note, it introduces the remarkable guitarist Miyavi to a wider audience. This Oscar-tailored movie is just the kind America loves. Everyone else will be content with the bestselling novel by Laura Hillenbrand.