Review of The Sixth Sense (1999) by Alberto R — 28 Jul 2014

Before he forever ruined his career with his disgraceful adaptation of The Last Airbender, M. Night Shyamalan had a very promising directing career on his hands. And The Sixth Sense has long considered to be the huge highlight of his mostly disappointing career (do I say that... well prior to this, my only experience with M. Night was The Last Airbender). With almost no knowledge of this film (not even the extremely talked about twist ending), I was unsure of how I would react to another film from one of Hollywood's most infamous... and it turns out The Sixth Sense is well worth anyone's time, especially those still angered by Last Airbender.

I promise I won't reveal any big spoilers (especially the twist ending), but here's all I can reveal regarding the film: Bruce Willis plays Malcolm Crowe, a doctor of child psychology, who goes to great detail to investigate the secrets behind a troubled eight-year-old boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment). When it's revealed that Cole is visited by threatening ghosts (I guess Saramouche really wanted to do the Fandango; Queen reference for those that didn't get it), Crowe, still recovering from a failed patient who committed suicide due to his problems, will do anything to redeem himself, one that ultimately comes at a price.

I think a very good experience with a film like The Sixth Sense has to be where you have almost no knowledge of the film, dim the lights to where it's almost dark, and watch the entire 105 minute film alone. With that in mind, The Sixth Sense has to be one of the most terribly frightening films I've experienced. M. Night must have used heavy Hitchcockian influences when making this film, cause throughout the film, it was literally playing tricks with my mind, in style of the best of The Master of Suspense, particularly in moments when the audience is taken in the mind of the troubled child. And then we arrive at the twist ending (which I won't reveal, I promise, to those who still need to watch the film), and the whole film just rises to a high level just in the last five minutes. It's one that makes the audience think of the events that unfold and rethinks everything that made the film great to begin with. Seriously, if Shyamalan hadn't of ruined his career, he probably would have been the modern-day Hitchcock just for this film alone!

There's a reason this was nominated for Best Picture back in 1999, and I think it has to do with how well the drama works in combining with the horror aspect. And that fact benefits from its two excellent lead performances. In a role different from his usual "Yippie kay-ey, mother------" stunts in Die Hard, Bruce Willis gives a very strong dramatic turn as Malcolm Crowe. Willis succeeds well mostly for the drama alone. He's still upset over his last patient's suicide, his relationship with his wife went down the drain due to his obsession with his work, and he fears that Cole is going down a similar path as his last patient. But it's Haley Joel Osment that captivates the film completely. From his first scenes, Osment relates his characters' issues to where we want to know what's going on and why he's viewed as a freak, or hates when people look at him funny. When we find out about the secret, Osment goes total control of very strong acting, particularly from a child. His fears of what's going on also plays into the minds of the audience. Even more outstanding is the fact that Osment was nominated for an Oscar for his spellbinding performance. Don't know why his career went down the drain, but The Sixth Sense is guaranteed proof that Haley Joel Osment can make a comeback.

The film also benefits from an effective score from frequent M. Night collaborator James Newton Howard. Though surprisingly quiet for your typical thriller, it still manages to leave a solid impression. It also effects the twist ending to why it worked in the film.

I don't think it's 100% perfect; some of the character's actions are still left unexplained and Olivia Williams' performance as Crowe's wife is extremely bland (though the aspect of their failed relationship still works due to Bruce Willis), The Sixth Sense is a remarkable modern thriller. It's approach to frightening terror is on par with the genius of Alfred Hitchcock, the drama succeeds very well, the lead performances are fantastic, the atmosphere is great, and the twist ending... well, that just adds a whole new light to this great film. I don't know if M. Night can return to making good-quality films as this, but I will say that no matter how much hatred he receives and the Razzies he wins, The Sixth Sense will still remain the reminder of the greatness of the notorious M. Night Shyamalan.

"I see dead people.".