THE SIXTH SENSE RATING: 8 / 10 --> Great movie
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Bruce Willis takes on a role strategically opposite to his usual macho, wise-crackin', gun-tottin' beefcake, to star alongside a cute kid, in a part that finds him leveled out as an insightful, caring, children's psychologist. Could he go an entire picture and not make one wise-ass remark? You bet!
PLOT: A children's psychologist becomes strongly attached to one child's problem, when the boy begins displaying strong signs of similarity with another young kid whom the doctor once treated, and failed to cure. The boy claims to see "dead people" walking all around him. In the meanwhile, the doctor's own marriage begins to fall apart, as he focuses too heavily on the child in question.
CRITIQUE: Wow. What an ending. I don't think I've been this moved by a film's conclusion since the frighteningly shocking end of David Fincher's SEVEN (9/10). Don't worry because I will obviously not ruin this film for anyone, but suffice it to say that the end of this film allows you to see the entire picture from an entirely different point of view, and that is simply a unique achievement. In fact, I am more than willing to see this film once again, just so that I could see it unravel within that other realm. Another thing that stood out for me with this picture was the fact that unlike its trailer, which sells this film as a chilling thriller, this movie is actually a supernatural drama with plenty of tear-jerking scenes to boot. And yes, even your faithful author crumbled under the emotional drainage of the film's players, filling his eyes with a little bit of the ol' wetness. I would rather compare it to elements of THE OMEN and GHOST, rather than any thrill-seekers ride.
In fact, the film is deliberately paced very slowly, with plenty of time given to the performers to grapple with the potent material at hand. Haley Joel Osment does an excellent job as the confused young child who is going through things that no child should ever go through, and even Bruce Willis pulls off an impressive steady performance, without a single "yipee-kaya" in the whole script. But once again, allow me re-iterate how much the twist ending of this film allowed it to catapult onto another level. Even after the film's credits had long been done rolling, my friends and I could not help but discuss the various intricacies of the plot which were altered through this amazing ending, and could not help but further our appreciation for this film. Great acting, great style, great score, an instant classic ending, and certainly worthy of being called one of my favorite films of the year. And despite it not being an all-out thriller, believe me when I say that you will be startled in a few scenes, and certainly touched in others. Giant kudos go out to the writer/director of this film, M. Night Shyamalan, for pulling off a very impressive film presentation.
Oh, and by the way, if this film interests you in the least, make sure that you see it as soon as possible, before someone ruins the ending for you. It truly is one to digest firsthand.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Ex-New Kid on the Block, Donnie Wahlberg, makes a powerful performance in this picture, looking absolutely NOTHING like he used to in the days of "hanging tough" with his now-defunct band. Such an immense physical transformation, I have not seen in a long while. Donnie apparently dropped 30 pounds for his minimal role. Robert DeNiro would be proud. Donnie has eight brothers and sisters, including his one other famous sibling, Mark Wahlberg, another once-a-singer-now-a-want-to-be-serious-actor in his own right. Donnie also has a son named Xavier by a member of his brother's band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Willis' wife in this movie is played by Olivia Williams, the apple of Max Fischer's eye in last year's comedy hit, RUSHMORE (8/10). You may remember child actor Haley Joel Osment from his roles as Avery Brown, son of TV's "Murphy Brown", Matt Foxworthy son on TV's "The Jeff Foxworthy Show", and Forrest Junior from, you guessed it, FORREST GUMP. Actress Toni Collette is Australian. In 1994, she won the Australian equivalent of the Academy Award for MURIEL'S WEDDING, a role for which she gained 40 pounds in seven weeks, with the help of a dietician. Pay close attention, and you will notice writer/director M. Night Shyamalan in his role in this film as Dr. Hill. Mr. Shyamalan is born in Madras, India, and wrote/directed his first autobiographical film, PRAYING WITH ANGER, when he was only 22 years old. This is his third picture.
Review Date: August 7, 1999
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Barry Mendel
Actors: Bruce Willis as Malcolm Crowe
Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear
Toni Collette as Lynn Sear
Olivia Williams as Anna Crowe
Genre: Thriller
Year of Release: 1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
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