In the hilarious words of Nate Bergatze, "I have to spoil it, but it's... I mean, it's 20 years old. So if... if you don't know by now, I don't know what to tell you." The Sixth Sense is an absolutely riveting film which proves that Shyamalan was once able to make near cinematic masterpieces. Every performance in this film lends itself to making the story so unbelievably engrossing, despite the muted and tense tone throughout its entirety. And as for that infamous twist, knowing it before watching this for the first time thankfully did not detract from the overall effect that it had on me. This movie truly is the epitome of a well-made twist ending that works so effectively.
Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is an award-winning child psychologist who is renowned for his devotion to his practice and helping families. After being shot by a former patient (Donnie Wahlberg), Crowe becomes disheartened while attempting to help a new client, the young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment). As his case unravels in Crowe's mind, more and more secrets begin spilling out that make this film a perfect drama. Shyamalan's writing and directing were truly at their peak with this film, as this is arguably his greatest piece ever made. The script is so elegant and builds these characters without any excessive use of violence or special effects. Each different character in this film is written with so much passion, as they are all developed immensely well. All of their interactions and relationships that were built actually made sense and not a single character choice felt out of the ordinary. And the way that Shyamalan ties all of these elements together to create such a powerful ending has blown me away. Especially the relationship between Malcolm and Cole, as these two leads paved the way for such great detail in the script. As I knew the twist before watching this for the first time, I tried to hyper-focus on the details in their dialogue and interactions and I have nothing but praise for the writing. From the creepy "I see dead people" monologue to the expectation-shattering twist at the end, these two could have not have been written better.
After a few disappointing features from Shyamalan in the past few years and an underwhelming opinion of Unbreakable, I was not quite sure what to expect from this film. While it obviously has stayed in the hearts of audiences for twenty years now, I was not sure what to think about this film. I now know, thankfully, that this movie has set the bar for dramatic filmmaking in an unbelievable way, especially for Shyamalan's creative mind. His writing mind at this time is one of the greatest, as his detail-oriented script made for such an engaging watch. The performances and music (or lack thereof) in this film are what really bring the story together. It's almost as strange seeing Willis with a head of hair as it is seeing him in this type of non-action role, but he has become legendary for it. His portrayal of this psychologist was so raw and down-to-earth yet dramatic in all the right spots. Willis' relationship with Shyamalan has only grown over the years and this movie is a testament to their best outing together. The real star of this film, however, has to be the 11-year old Haley Joel Osment as his performance as the troubled child is astounding. He stole every scene that he was in and was truly the glue that held both the story and the entire film together. Along with amazing supporting performances from Olivia Williams and Toni Colette and James Newton Howard's wildly tense score, every aspect of this movie blends together so beautifully to the point of being a near perfect piece of filmmaking.
The Sixth Sense is a wildly dramatic film that I will never forget. While I knew of the infamous twist at the conclusion of this film, I had no idea that the build-up to it would be written and directed so exquisitely. I could not perceive any plot holes at all in this film and it even introduced a few elements that I was not actually expecting. I would absolutely recommend this classic film, as it truly is an unforgettable experience.
My Rating: ★★★★
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