I was first introduced to the directing of Shyamalan in the popular children’s video ‘Stuart Little’. Fairly impressed with his style I succumbed to my husband’s wishes and bought the Sixth Sense DVD; I am not a fan of Bruce Willis, generally not liking ‘thriller’ type movies so I was skeptical about this movie expecting an action type movie.
Shyamalan writes and directs the movie, and perhaps due to his skill as a director and his unique style as a writer he gained acclaim by getting six Oscar nominations as the movie became a surprise hit.
<The Plot>
Bruce Willis plays Dr Crowe, a child psychologist who feels he is a failure when a former patient tries to shoot him and then commits suicide. Cole Sear (played by the up and coming child actor Haley Osment) is similar to the patient who committed suicide; Dr Crowe’s former patient was a childe when he treated him.
Cole is having hallucinations and seems to be troubled in all aspects of his life; Cole believes he can see and talk to the dead. Dr Crowe is determined to help Cole as he does not want to fail another patient.
As we slowly move through Dr Crowe’s life as he comes to terms with an apparent recent divorce, we watch him passionately attempt to get through to Cole; slowly as we watch Cole experience ‘sightings’ we wonder what forces are at work as the ‘sightings’ seem to be so believable.
As we experience the ‘sightings’ with Cole many of us fail to see the where the movie is ending and become totally engrossed in the bond that is forming between the two. In hindsight, the plot twist is fairly obvious, but I for one was totally fooled.
<The direction>
Shymalan has cleverly combined an excellent ghost story with an almost simplistic twist in the tale; he has disguised the twist with clever camera work and use of colour.
Shymalan has somehow managed to turn an actor more famous for his comedy or thriller roles into a sensitive actor that portrays frustration, anger and love. Additionally, his casting abilities are exceptional as he has found a super star in the making.
<The acting>
I was pleasantly surprised at how good Bruce Willis was in this show. Having seen him as a wisecracking character in Moonlighting and as a rough and tough ‘normal’ man in Die Hard it was interesting to see him use his obvious acting skills for a change.
Haley Orment is perhaps the best find in the acting world for years. The role he plays is very difficult and to see a child actor produce an Academy Nominated performance at his first attempt is inspirational. He seems to have a poise that is far beyond his age and that marks him as a future Hollywood great.
<The setting>
Although the setting doesn’t really matter, it was interesting to see the movie filmed in Philadelphia. With a quaintness that was almost English the city managed to add a subtle yet friendly element to the movie.
<DVD Extras>
The DVD has several scenes that were cut out of the movie. Shamaylan explains why he cut these scenes.
There is a very good interview with the director somehow capturing some of his innocence and cheekiness. Additionally we see a home movie that he made when he was very young.
Generally the DVD bonuses are very good and add an element to the movie that you would not normally get. I was particularly interested in the section regarding the ‘clues’ that if you had watched the movie carefully enough would have enabled you to foresee the twist in the plot.
<Conclusion>
I was very impressed with this movie; I was surprised at Bruce Willis’s performance, amazed by Haley Orment and intrigued and very surprised by the movie.
I do not think I will watch it many times as the key to the movie really is the ‘twist’. However, I do feel that it is one of the better movies of recent years!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: John Duigan - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend, Penelope Cruz
I really enjoyed this film...I have to admit that I didn't get the twist until near the end of the film, but would definately watch it again...Great review :o) Tea xx
"I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what ... more
is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked nine-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psy...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
"I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what ... more
is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked nine-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psy...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
"I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what ... more
is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked nine-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psy...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
After the assault and suicide of one of his ex-patients award-winning child psychologist ... more
Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is left determined to help a young boy named Cole who suffers from the same diagnosis as the ex-patient - they both see dead people....
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Good Extra’s, Good Film Disadvantages: Absolutely none
seagulls-lost-horizon 08.07.2001 (20.07.2001)
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Review of The Sixth Sense (DVD)
![The Sixth Sense [DVD] [1999] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/70104378.jpg "The Sixth Sense [DVD] [1999] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
![The Sixth Sense - 2 Disc Collector's Edition [DVD] [1999]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78535166.jpg "The Sixth Sense - 2 Disc Collector's Edition [DVD] [1999]")
![The Sixth Sense [DVD] [1999]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/80416193.jpg "The Sixth Sense [DVD] [1999]")
Sep 1st, 2001
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