The Sixth Sense Review
by Craig Faichney (craigf AT interlog DOT com)August 1st, 1999
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
It’s a curious thing - I’ve found that when Willis is not called on to carry the whole movie, he’s much better and so is the movie. Even though, in The Sixth Sense he is the "name", he doesn’t have the pivotal role. That honour goes to Haley Osment who plays Cole Sear (cute pun, Seer) a 9 year old boy who can see ghosts. If Osment was cute or precious, the director going for the maudlin, this would be nothing more than a movie-of-the-week, thankfully, Osment is not only better than that, but in some instances, blows everyone else off the screen in a bravura performance. We get to see his fears, vulnerabilities, strengths and intelligence which makes The Sixth Sense one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. The whole cast matches him in quality, with Willis giving a fairly low key performance that matches the subject matter.
One thing about this movie, its target. This isn’t a sfxfest like the Haunting or a gorefest, this is more what I’d call a Supernatural Drama, more interested in characters than in dazzling you with makeup.
One caveat: there’s a lovely twist in the movie, something like the Usual Suspects, where you end up replaying the movie in your head rethinking what you have just seen. I was extremely lucky to see it as a sneak preview in Toronto, before any hype or critical reviews were out, so I went in with no biases. If anyone want to talk to about the movie before you see it, DON’T let them. Let the director explain on his own pace and you’ll enjoy the movie vastly more.
**** out of *****
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
