Grade: *****
"I see dead people." -- Cole Sear
I promise not to spoil the ending of this movie, but, come on, it's 11 years old. There has to be a statute of limitations on spoiler alerts, right?
Without giving away the ending, this is a great film with a solid story, fantastic acting, and a surprise ending reminiscent of Hitchcock. The concept here is that little Cole (Haley Joel Osment) sees ghosts, and they torment him night and day, to the point of physical abuse. He eventually meets the award-winning child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), who tries to help him out.
Meanwhile, Cole's mom (Toni Collette) and Malcolm's wife Anna (Olivia Williams) are having problems of their own relating to the men in their lives. Cole is obviously afraid to tell his mom that he's being physically abused by gh-gh-ghosts... I mean, who wouldn't put their kid away for something like that? The subplot with Malcolm and his wife also serves its purpose by movie's end.
Without question, this is Shyamalan's best movie, and based on the previews for The Last Airbender, it will remain his best movie at least for another year or two. Don't get me wrong, I love Signs and even Unbreakable was better on repeat viewing, but I wish I had one of those Men In Black memory-erasing things so I could forget The Village and The Happening (or as JC calls it, The Crappening). Favorite quote from that movie: "We've got to stay ahead of the wind!" Um, ok, Marky Mark, how exactly do you run from the wind?
But, I digress. Shyamalan obviously knew what he was doing with this story and these actors. He got a great performance out of Willis, and, even though he over-enunciated everything, little Haley Joel Osment wasn't half as annoying as most child actors. My favorite performance in the movie though was Oscar-nominated Toni Collette. There's a scene at the end of the movie that has me in tears every time I see it. EVERY time, people! I'm getting misty just thinking about it now.
This is one of those movies that really requires multiple viewings in order to appreciate how wonderful it truly is. Not that it isn't fantastic upon first viewing, but there are subtle clues sprinkled throughout the movie like little breadcrumbs trying to help you get to that surprise twist. Shyamalan also loves his symbolism. Pay close attention to the color red.
This is on my list of must-own movies, so if you haven't seen it yet, let me know and I'll have you over for a screening. And I promise not to give away the ending.
P.S. Dorothy had the power to go home all along, and Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father.
Did you know?: M. Night Shyamalan also wrote the screenplay for Stuart Little. I haven't seen it, but I'm wondering what the twist ending to that movie is.
Credits:
U.S. (Hollywood, Spyglass, Kennedy/Marshall) 107m Technicolor
Language: English / Spanish / Latin
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Barry Mendel
Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan
Photography: Tak Fuijimoto
Music: James Newton Howard
Cast: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Trevor Morgan, Donnie Wahlberg, Peter Anthony Tambakis, Jeffrey Zubernis, Bruce Norris, Glenn Fitzgerald, Greg Wood, Mischa Barton, Angelica Torn, Lisa Summerour, Firdous Bamji
Oscar nominations: Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel (best picture), M. Night Shyamalan (director), M. Night Shyamalan (screenplay), Haley Joel Osment (actor in a supporting role), Toni Collette (actress in a supporting role), Andrew Mondshein (editing)
Why you should watch The Sixth Sense: it's one of the best ghost stories ever told and the acting is top-notch.
Why you shouldn't watch: you saw The Happening and just can't find it in yourself to forgive M. Night.
Up Next: Batman (1989)
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