Unbroken
The life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who joined the armed forces during the second world war. Only to be captured by the Japanese navy after a plane crash in the Pacific. During his capture, Louie must continue his fight by surviving through the war.
Despite a moderate budget of $65.0M, Unbroken became a box office success, earning $163.4M worldwide—a 151% return.
Nominated for 3 Oscars. 14 wins & 33 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Unbroken (2014) showcases meticulously timed story structure, characteristic of Angelina Jolie's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 17 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.9, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Louis as a bombardier on a B-24 during a bombing run over the Pacific, establishing his wartime role before the central ordeal begins.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when The B-24 is catastrophically damaged by enemy fire during the mission, forcing an emergency return. Louis and crew barely survive the landing, foreshadowing the true disruption to come.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 23% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to The rescue plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean. Louis, Phil, and Mac are thrown into a true survival situation adrift on life rafts - entering the "mirror world" of survival at sea., moving from reaction to action.
At 67 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat False defeat: After surviving 47 days at sea, Louis and Phil are captured by the Japanese Navy. What seems like rescue becomes a new nightmare as they're taken to a POW camp. The stakes raise dramatically., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 102 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Watanabe forces the emaciated Louis to hold a heavy wooden beam overhead, threatening to shoot him if he drops it. This is Louis's lowest point - near death, broken, his spirit on the edge of extinction., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 109 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The war ends. Louis and the POWs are liberated. Louis returns home to family and life, carrying his trauma but having proven the theme: if you can take it, you can make it. He survived unbroken., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Unbroken's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Unbroken against these established plot points, we can identify how Angelina Jolie utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Unbroken within the biography genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional biography films include Lords of Dogtown, Ip Man 2 and A Complete Unknown.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Louis as a bombardier on a B-24 during a bombing run over the Pacific, establishing his wartime role before the central ordeal begins.
Theme
In flashback, young Louis's brother Pete tells him "If you can take it, you can make it" - the thematic core of endurance and unbreakable spirit that will define Louis's survival.
Worldbuilding
Intercut between the bombing mission and flashbacks establishing Louis's troubled youth, transformation through running, and Olympic glory in Berlin 1936, building his identity as someone who never gives up.
Disruption
The B-24 is catastrophically damaged by enemy fire during the mission, forcing an emergency return. Louis and crew barely survive the landing, foreshadowing the true disruption to come.
Resistance
Louis and crew are assigned a rescue mission on a faulty plane. Debate about the danger, preparation for the flight, camaraderie among the airmen, and Louis's relationship with his fellow crew members are established.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
The rescue plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean. Louis, Phil, and Mac are thrown into a true survival situation adrift on life rafts - entering the "mirror world" of survival at sea.
Mirror World
On the raft, the relationship between Louis and Phil deepens as they support each other through starvation, shark attacks, and despair. Their bond represents hope and human connection in desolation.
Premise
The promise of the premise: survival against impossible odds. Louis and Phil endure 47 days adrift - starvation, thirst, shark attacks, enemy strafing - demonstrating extraordinary resilience and the will to live.
Midpoint
False defeat: After surviving 47 days at sea, Louis and Phil are captured by the Japanese Navy. What seems like rescue becomes a new nightmare as they're taken to a POW camp. The stakes raise dramatically.
Opposition
Louis faces systematic brutality in the POW camps, particularly from the sadistic commander Watanabe "The Bird" who singles him out. The opposition intensifies - beatings, humiliation, forced labor, starvation.
Collapse
Watanabe forces the emaciated Louis to hold a heavy wooden beam overhead, threatening to shoot him if he drops it. This is Louis's lowest point - near death, broken, his spirit on the edge of extinction.
Crisis
Louis holds the beam, drawing on every memory of resilience. His fellow prisoners watch, willing him strength. The dark night where he must choose: surrender his dignity or remain unbroken.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The war ends. Louis and the POWs are liberated. Louis returns home to family and life, carrying his trauma but having proven the theme: if you can take it, you can make it. He survived unbroken.