The Sixth
Sense
Written
and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Starring
Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, and Donnie
Wahlberg
106
minutes. Rated PG-13. Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. 1999
Where the hell did M. Night Shyamalan come from??
That's
not a negative statement -- I'm just wondering why I've never heard of
this absurdly talented filmmaker before now. Shyamalan, who also wrote
and directed Wide Awake and wrote the forthcoming Stuart Little,
is in my opinion the best new filmmaker this year. His masterpiece, The
Sixth Sense, is one of the most chilling, moving, and brilliantly written
films I have ever seen.
It concerns
a young boy (Osment, in an Oscar-worthy performance), who, in his own words
"see[s] dead people." The film seems to focus around him and his struggle
to understand not only what's happening to him, but what the specters stalking
him want. He's helped along by a child therapist (Willis, in his best role
since 12 Monkeys), who at first is skeptical of the boy's claims,
but soon comes to believe that the child is indeed being haunted by the
deceased.
What
a work. I'm sure those of you who haven't seen it yet have heard about
the big surprise ending, which is why my plot description isn't going to
go any deeper than that, and I'm sure those of you who have seen
the film know why I'm not going any deeper. But let me just say that The
Crying Game (the last big "surprise ending" film) has got nothing on
Shyamalan or The Sixth Sense. Understand, please, that it's not
a "gag" ending, or something tacked on to surprise the audience and generate
strong word-of-mouth ticket sales. The end of the film is like all the
tumblers in a safe clicking into place and the door swinging open to reveal
the cash. It's a marvelous climax that brings real power and definition
to the film.
But there's
almost a hundred minutes of captivating filmmaking that comes before that
fantastic ending, so let's look at that. 
Shyamalan's
writing is strong. Already I've described how his plotting is incredible
(again, everything just falls into place at the end, and oh man...), but
his dialogue is strong as well. Willis and Osment's characters are believable,
as is Cole's (Osment) mother, played by Toni Collette (Velvet Goldmine,
Clockwatchers). As for the acting, it too is amazing. Bruce Willis
doesn't have a very good reputation as a serious actor (despite his brilliant
performance in
12 Monkeys), but this part should earn him some of
that well-earned respect and help to bury the image of John McClain (the
hero of the Die Hard films) that automatically pops up whenever
you hear Willis' name. Collette also turns in an impressive performance,
as does Olivia Williams (Rushmore) as Wills' wife, but the real
star here is Osment (who appeared as the young Forrest in Forrest Gump),
who as I've already indicated turns in an Oscar-worthy performance. His
Cole is sweet and terrified, and yet somehow strong, as well. Osment lends
a lot of strength and believability to the film.
The filmmaking is impressive as well. Shyamalan is a fantastic director
in addition to being a talented writer. He paints The Sixth Sense
in drab, moody colors that contribute perfectly to the atmosphere and the
mood. His use of light and dark isn't quite on the Citizen Kane
level, but it's pretty damn good. His camera angles are interesting and
effective, as well. Basically this is a very well-shot, well-made film.
The
Sixth Sense has been compared a lot to The Blair Witch Project,
the other big scary movie that came out this summer. But comparing a polished,
brilliantly plotted piece of work like this to a raw, brilliantly conceived
piece of work like that is like comparing
Pulp Fiction to Go
because they're both told in vignettes and not completely in sequential
order -- which a lot of rather ignorant film critics did, come to think
of it. But there's no point in comparing
The Sixth Sense to Blair
Witch. They're both frightening (when we start seeing what Cole sees,
that's when the chills and the little "jumps" start), and they're both
brilliant, but that's about all they have in common.
Bottom line: A wonderful, terribly sad film that has some of the best plotting
and the best ending I've seen in a long time.
My grade:
A+
My advice:
Leave all expectations at the door and enjoy this film without comparing
it to The Blair Witch Project or The Exorcist, or God knows
what else. Come to think of it, that's good advice when dealing with any
film. Trust me. You'll appreciate them more.
Get the movie
poster!
