It was a shock, to say the least... (The Sixth Sense (DVD))

Member Name: krabople

Product:	The Sixth Sense (DVD)
Date:	05/10/01 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ingenious twist, well-plotted, great performances all round

Disadvantages: long winded

With its infamous spine chilling twist and outstanding performances from both Bruce Willis and particularly Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense is a cinematic masterpiece.

The film begins with Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis) being shot by a patient (Donnie Wahlberg) he 'failed', after a night out with his wife. A year and a half later, now no longer speaking to his wife, he meets a new patient, a seemingly normal but intelligent boy named Cole Sear (Osment), who particularly reminds him of his former patient. However, Cole has an unusual gift - he has the ability to see dead people (I don't mean corpses, I mean ghosts!).

Osment's performance is amazingly natural, showing maturity well beyond his years.

While being entertaining throughout, it is not until the end you realize quite what all the fuss is about. Up until then, the film is alright, but would only deserve to be labelled average. It takes a genius to be able to turn around a whole film and change the audience's perspective at last gasp, but director Shyamalan somehow manages it here.

After watching the film for the first time last week, it soon became obvious as to why Bruce Willis took a pay cut to make this film. The script is original and the twist is the biggest since The Usual Suspects.

A word of warning - don't spend the whole film trying to figure out the twist - although I didn't figure it out, countless people I have spoken to did relatively easily, and thus spoiled the surprise.

The film has elements of surprise (obviously), horror, intrigue and obvious intellect. Haley Joel Osment displays an acting talent far beyond his years.

Watching the film for a second time was almost as good as the first... there are small hints in practically every scene, and everything becomes crystal clear. However, after the second time, the film become boring, as it becomes obvious that the whole film is purely a build-up toward
s the end.

The DVD features include deleted scenes (ones that were right to have been deleted), including an alternate ending, behind the scenes documentaries, storyboards and a trailor.

So for the minority out there who haven't seen Sixth Sense, I highly recommend it. One of the most inventive films ever made.

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