The trailer shows Zamperini's remarkable journey, as he became a champion runner, earning a medal at the 1936 Olympics, before enlisting in the US Air Force when World War II began. He was taken as a prisoner of war by Japan when his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

We see him overcome school bullies to become a champion runner, before risking his life at sea as his plane crashes, before entering the prisoner of war camp. The action-filled shots show that Angelina is not afraid to take on a directorial challenge.

The film was adapted from Zamperini's biography and co-written by the Coen brothers, who made The Big Lebowski, and Inside Llewyn Davis. Its winter release implies it could be in the running for the award season.

Angelina discovered that she lived close to Zamperini in Los Angeles after researching and pitching the film, and the two became friends. She described her "huge responsibility to get [the film] right. I love him so much and he’s helped me so much in my life." She also said that making Unbroken was "the hardest thing I've ever done."

Sadly, Zamperini died last week, before getting to see how Angelina interpreted his life. But if this trailer is anything to go by, the film is set to be a fitting tribute.

'Watch the trailer for 'Unbroken', Angelina Jolie's second film as a director