Unbeatable?

he mythic figure of the film superhero-once an icon of strength and virtue-is perhaps too worn by slews of codpieces, bad puns and campy over-the-top villains on neon rollerblades to be of any potence. Is it possible for a man in tights to conjure up any shred of awe after shameful disgraces like Batman and Robin or tired satire like Mystery Men and even "The Ambiguously Gay Duo?"

Director M. Night Shyamalan rejuvenated the similarly overcamped horror genre with his eerily understated, old-fashioned ghost story The Sixth Sense. In Unbreakable, he attempts to refocus the superhero archetype in the same direction, away from the extraordinary and into the mundane.

Security guard David Dunne (Bruce Willis, with a square mug and smooth dome that really could fit right into an Iron Man suit or Captain America tights) begins to suspect that he is somehow different after being the sole survivor of a train wreck. Dunne is confronted by comic book art dealer Elijah Price (Samuel Jackson, out of badass mode but still wonderfully creepy) whose congenital bone disease traps him in a world of immense pain and intense fantasy in which Dunne assumes a key part. Willis plays his role with a painfully morose, numbed glaze-but what at first appears to be either boredom or simplicity is soon revealed to be far more complex. David doesn't necessarily want to be a hero, but it's clear from his failed marriage and general depression that there is something missing in his life. Elijah recognizes it, as does his Haley Joel lookalike son (Spencer Treat Clark, in a role that one can't help but wish was Osment's), who tries to force Willis into recognizing his gift. Every kid thinks his father is Superman, so when the kid makes a violently desperate attempt to force his near-deadbeat dad to face up to his responsibility, the scene is both shocking and touching.

As a follow-up to the stunning, intricate Sixth Sense, Unbreakable draws strong comparison with its quiet, brooding, slow pace. If nothing else, this film confirms his ability to wield the camera and draw riveting drama out of every calculated shot and skewed angle. More than just a cheap Hitchcock hack like Brian De Palma, Shyamalan has a gift with the lens that lets his scenes breathe vividly-he is certainly one of the most exciting young directors today.

Still, it's unfortunate that this script doesn't have the internal dynamics of his last success. When Dunne finally dons a cape and accepts his role, there are rightfully no explosions or pop-up alliteration screens. However, the final third is so abrupt and inert in its anticlimax that the entire film is left ultimately unfulfilling. The ending, specifically, is a shocker close to Sixth Sense proportions, but instead of wrapping up loose threads and adding a fresh dimension, this one is egregiously out of tone and pace with the rest of the film. Unfortunately, the most interesting recombination of the comic book aesthetic (Matrix notwithstanding) in years ends up hampered by that dastardly archvillain narrative structure.