Directed and Written by: M. Night Shyamalan
Produced by: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Barry Mendel, Sam Mercer
Editing by: Andrew Mondshein
Cinematography by: Tak Fujimoto
Starring:
Bruce Willis - Dr. Malcolm Crowe
Toni Collette - Lynn Sear
Haley Joel Osment - Cole Sear
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First time writer and director, M. Night Shyamalan would have to be happy with the public response to the new thriller "The Sixth Sense". But I guess Mr or Ms Shyamalan knew they were on to a good thing when the script was sold after its first reading at a Hollywood studio.
The previews to "The Sixth Sense" tell all you need to know before seeing the film, that is they don't give anything away. "The Sixth Sense" is about an 8-year-old boy, Cole Sear played by Haley Joel Osment, who can see dead people. Bruce Willis is Dr. Malcolm Crowe, decorated child psychologist who comes in to take the boy's nightmare away.
The concept is not original, but it works on many levels. Most of the appearances of the dead people are appropriately gory, amusing or terrifying, and with the right audience in the right theatre, you'll see people jumping at things haven't even appeared yet.
I am not a scary movie guru, but I didn't find "The Sixth Sense" that terrifying. I did enjoy it though, that's certain.
Good points: Toni Collete makes her major Hollywood debut as Cole's mother, Lynn Sear, and despite the fact that the role seems a tad two-dimensional or undeveloped at times, her peformance, which we have seen delivered brilliantly in Australian films like "Muriel's Wedding" and "Cosi", is very solid and her American accent is appropriately not distracting.
The ending, which the previews do not even hint at, is well disguised and will continue to be left undiscussed by this reviewer.
Another interesting aspect to the film is the cinematography, which is at times reminiscent of Hitchcock and Welles. Tak Fujimoto has used unusual angles and chosen awkward places for the camera to fit to create the ghostly mood.
Bad points: The secondary plot with Bruce Willis dealing with his marital problems with his wife Anna, played by Olivia Williams, is a little boring at times, although it is intrinsically linked to the plot. Perhaps there was a better way to portray this side of the story.
Also, what may have made the plot a little more interesting, would have been to focus the appearance of the dead people to a certain place or moment in time, rather than the ever-1940's looking Philadelphia.
However, like I said earlier, I did enjoy it. I may have even jumped once or twice. I didn't scream though. The roles being handed out to young actors these days seem to be becoming more and more demanding, but certainly Haley Joel Osment is up to this challenge.
It will be interesting to see what the elusively named M. Night Shyamalan comes up with next.
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