'Unbroken' - slow, but inspiring story about human spirit

Film: "Unbroken"; Cast: Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Takamaasa Ishihara, Alex Russell, Finn Wittrock and Jai Courtney; Director: Angelina Jolie; Rating: *** Minutes before Louie Zamperini, an athlete-turned-war hero, boards a train to participate in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, his brother Pete tells him: "Louie, a moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory". From then on, pain becomes an internal part of Louie's life -- right from the 47 days he spent along with two other crew-members in a raft after a near-fatal plane crash in the shark-infested Pacific, to the time he spent as a slave in two prisoner-of-war camps in Japan. It's those inspiring words by Pete and the superhuman force of will that not just kept Louie alive but also taught him some of life's important lessons. One of which is to have the heart to return to his captors in Japan many years later and forgive them. "Unbroken" is a highly inspiring and commendable tale of triumph and human endurance. But, director Jolie, who narrates the gut-wrenching true story of a real war hero with utmost conviction, takes too long to tell it. It's ironic that it takes endurance to sit through this tale of endurance. But if you keep aside the film's sluggish pace, there's so much to take back from this awe-inspiring story of will power, survival and forgiveness.