The Sixth Sense

Wow! Now this is what movies should be like. Only thing missing to make it a 10/10 was the fancy special effects that we have today but just goes to show that a good story and great actors can still do better than special effects on their own. The twist got me and box office figures show how amazing this movie was even in it's day! Good job.

That ending... Never has the word "speechless" been so apt. 'The Sixth Sense' is a very good movie from beginning to end, but it is during that conclusion that the film becomes truly remarkable. The only word that crossed my mind when the credits rolled was "wow". Such a fantastic way to wrap up events, the best twists are the ones that give you all the clues but without making it obvious what's occurred - and that's exactly the case here. Up until that moment, I was simply 'only' enjoying the flick. Like, it was really, really good but I was waiting for things to move up a gear. It is quite slowly paced for the majority, which actually helps in appreciating what eventually happens to be honest. The plot is supremely well executed when all is said and done. Haley Joel Osment puts in a top quality performance, such an impressive showing. Bruce Willis is excellent as well, kinda crazy that I had seen 26 features with him in and yet somehow missed this one. Toni Collette, a barely recognisable Toni Collette, is ace too, I love Lynn and Cole's mother/son dynamic; despite all the pressing issues. Logged, at last! I had heard of this flick for almost as long as I can remember. Thankfully, despite that, I completely avoided any spoilers. Outstanding movie!

There are three really potent performances in this mystery and none better than a super debut from eleven year old Haley Joel Osment who is the troubled young "Cole". He can see dead people, he can talk to dead people, he can learn from dead people. His problem is, not unreasonably, that nobody believes him - and his mother "Lynn" (Toni Collette) is at her wit's end. Enter onto the scene child psychologist "Crowe" (Bruce Willis) who has some experience in this field as one of his other patients "Vincent" (Donnie Wahlberg) suffered with the same problem - only with tragic consequences. Of course the scepticism abounds, but as the plot develops we all begin to wonder just what is a figment of the youngster's imagination and what is actual fact. M. Night Shyamalan lets the actors do the heavy lifting here, accompanied well by some intimate photography and an effective score from James Newton Howard. Collette is really convincing as the distraught mother and Osment just oozes a confidence well beyond his years as his character comes to terms with a trauma that would test the most robust of temperaments. Finally, Willis reminds us just why he was ever a star in the first place - his performance is delicate and assured. The dialogue is well constructed with little extraneous verbiage to clutter up what is a really compelling foray into a scary yet enthralling dimension that I really enjoyed watching. It is better still on a big screen, if you can.