The Sixth Sense Review
by David Sunga (zookeeper AT criticzoo DOT com)August 12th, 1999
THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)
Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 4.0)
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Key to rating system:
2.0 stars - Debatable
2.5 stars - Some people may like it
3.0 stars - I liked it
3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out
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A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: N. Night Shyamalan
Written by: N. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment
Synopsis:
Hotshot psychiatrist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) thinks he's on top of the world until a suicidal patient shows up with a gun. A year later, thoroughly shaken, with his marriage falling apart and professional skills waning, Crowe stumbles on the chance to help a frightened 9-year old boy named Cole (Haley Joel Osment) who is having hallucinations of seeing dead people.
Opinion:
Writer/ N. Night Shyamalan knows how to break the rules and get away with it. Instead of plying us with special effects and a predictable story line, Shyamalan keeps suspense hanging just in the background, ready to dart out at any moment, as he focuses on the relationship between Crowe and the kid. It's wonderful to watch the negotiation between actors Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. Is the shaken boy taking refuge in the steadfastness of Crowe, or is the shaken Crowe finding refuge in helping the boy? Then, just as you think things are beginning to settle . . . boom! The ending is a doozy, and it makes complete sense, but I won't reveal it. Despite its title THE SIXTH SENSE has nothing to do with extrasensory perception. But it's the best ghost story I've seen in years.
Reviewed by David Sunga
August 8, 1999
Copyright © 1999 by David Sunga
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