The supernatural thriller "Unbreakable" attempts, quite unsuccessfully, to mimic the cinematic greatness and commercial success of writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's previous effort, "The Sixth Sense." "Unbreakable" is based on the premise that comic books hold the ever-elusive answers to life's most trying questions. On paper, this sounds no more ridiculous than, say, a boy who can "see dead people," but in execution it proves woefully uncompelling.

"Unbreakable" moves painfully slowly at points and requires an exceptional amount of suspended disbelief to support its far-fetched plot. It limps rather inexplicably to a contrived surprise ending that will not blow your mind, a la "The Sixth Sense," but rather reduce your mind to putty with its utter stupidity.

Once again, Bruce Willis is Shyamalan's leading man, playing the part of David Dunn, a dour security guard who is searching for the answer to why his life is so unfulfilling.

The plot temporarily heats up once Dunn becomes the sole survivor of a devastating train wreck, escaping without a scratch. Upon hearing of this apparent miracle, Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a comic store owner with a rare disease that causes his bones to shatter easily, offers to help Dunn in his quest to solve the mystery of his survival. Price poses the absurd theory that somehow, like some comic book hero, Dunn is impervious to all kinds of force. He has been blessed/cursed with "unbreakability" and has the potential to become a superhero. His unhappiness has been due to his not fulfilling his fate.

Willis and Jackson display the competence of veteran actors but they have little chemistry on screen. They are hampered by Shyamalan's muddled writing, and neither star provides the extra magic that it would have taken to get this turkey off the ground.