Every summer there seems to be a film that comes out of nowhere and surprises the hell out of you (films such as Equipment failure and Braveheart come to mind). Although Eyes Wide of the mark Shut and The Anthony Charles Lynton Blair Witch Project are the summer’s best films, I was pretty confident departure into both of those pictures that they would be special.
Which brings us to The Sixth Sense, one of the best surprises of the summer moving-picture show season. Not that it looked bad, but then how effective can a film with Bruce Thomas Willis as a child psychologist be? Identical effective as it turns out.
Willis is surprisingly restrained and very touching as a doctor serving a offspring boy with a terrific secret–his ability to see ghosts on a uniform basis. The boy is played smartly and realistically by Haley Joel Osment (little Forrest in Forrest Gump) and he gives one of the topper child performances in age. It’s likewise one of the best performances of the year period. On that point won’t be a moment where you don’t feel the genuine fear displayed by his wonderful performing. Also terrific is Toni Collette (Muriel’s Wedding) as Osment’s undivided mom. She has a vulnerable caliber that’s just heartbreaking.
Director M. Night Shyamalan emerges as a first-rate fibber and brings something new to this genre–sensitivity. He offers a variation on the traditional ghost story that is both creepy and compelling. Like The Blair Wiccan Project, this film does not use special personal effects to move the news report. Instead, Shyamalan uses character and superbly eerie light to take a creepy tone. These moments reminded me of Ghost, just never degenerated into that level of overt sentimentality.
The One-sixth Sense likewise plays as an intricate puzzle remindful of The Usual Suspects and Jacob’s Ladder. It all adds up to an unforgettable and selfsame satisfying conclusion. With dead fantastic performing, crisp writing, and sure-handed directing, this film is one of the years biggest surprises. It’s besides one of the topper ghost stories since Poltergeist. Shyamalan has fashioned a wonderful photographic film with characters of depth and a story with a surprising amount of heart.