Sixth Sense
Itās rare that a single cinematic moment can have such an impact in movie history, a moment that takes the movie itself from being almost average, and catapults it into being one of the biggest blockbusters of our time, grossing almost $300 million and earning a slew of Oscar Nominations, not to mention continuing to be an influential, almost referential cultural landmark for years to come, but thatās exactly what M. Night Shyamalan pulled off with this 1999 work that in itself elevated him to the level of a renowned filmmaker. While critics and fans at the time raved about The Twist that this movie contained at the end, the important thing to remember is the movie itself that led up to that twist, with a carefully crafted meticulous attention to detail so as not to cheat the audience, but also some superb writing and acting that makes it so weāre totally drawn in and ready to be hit with the final revelation. The film is often misrepresented by people as either a horror movie or even a thriller, when in actuality itās best described as a moving supernatural drama about a renowned and decorated child psychologist played by Bruce Willis, haunted by his failure to identify the problem with and help one particular patient, who takes on the case of a troubled little boy (Haley Joel Osment) who has been labeled a āfreakā by his classmates, only to discover that the little boyās maladies are caused by him being a genuine, honest to God psychic phenomenon who can see and even communicate with ghosts at almost all times, and has to come to terms with the fact that for the rest of his life he will have to be an advocate of sorts for these tortured souls in order to make certain things right. This was pretty much the premise for the awful Ghost Whisperer TV drama that came years later, but what distinguishes this film is the amazing acting on display: Willis does perhaps some of the best, most understated work of his career, carrying the film with his charisma but still keeping things in check with a nuanced turn that convinces us he is a good man who pursues his lifeās work due to a true love, caring, and understanding of children, but itās Osment who walks off with the undisputed acting honors here, giving what can arguably be called the single best performance by a child actor on record, as he makes his Cole Sear a fascinating, yet tormented figure, and the filmās highlights are the scenes with him and Willis together talking about his issues, with great chemistry and respect shown by the both of them as we learn more about the kidās problems, and while Osment secured himself a Nomination for Best Supporting Actor, it is rather a surprise that Willis wound up being snubbed. Also of note is Toni Collette (nominated for Supporting Actress) as Osmentās mother who continuously cares for her little boy no matter how ādifferentā he may be and whose scene in traffic where her son tells her the truth is what probably got her the nomination. There is also Olivia Williams as Willisā estranged wife and Donnie Wahlberg in a harrowing opening scene turn as well, but as everything builds towards the final scene, there can be no doubt that THAT became the game changer for the fortunes of this film, coming across as first a shock to the system and then into a beautifully played little piece of emotion that wraps everything up nicely and established Shyamalan as a storytelling genius that he has tried to replicate ever since (with varying degrees of success), but still, for anyone out there who still hasnāt seen this, be sure to do so for an exhilarating ride of emotions and scaresā¦
10/10