| "I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), scared to affirm what is to him now a daily occurrence. This peaked 9-year old, already hypersensitive to begin with, is now being haunted by seemingly malevolent spirits. Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is trying to find out what's triggering Cole's visions, but what appears to be a psychological manifestation turns out to be frighteningly real. It might be enough to scare off a lesser man, but for Malcolm it's personal--several months before, he was accosted and shot by an unhinged patient, who then turned the gun on himself. Since then, Malcolm has been in turmoil--he and his wife (Olivia Williams) are barely speaking, and his life has taken an aimless turn. Having failed his loved ones and himself, he's not about to give up on Cole. This third feature by M. Night Shyamalan sets itself up as a thriller, poised on the brink of delivering monstrous scares, but gradually evolves into more of a psychological drama with supernatural undertones. Many critics faulted the film for being mawkish and New Age-y, but no matter how you slice it, this is one mightily effective piece of filmmaking. The bare bones of the story are basic enough, but the moody atmosphere created by Shyamalan and cinematographer Tak Fujimoto made this one of the creepiest pictures of 1999, forsaking excessive gore for a sinisterly simple feeling of chilly otherworldliness. Willis is in his strong, silent type mode here, and gives the film wholly over to Osment, whose crumpled face and big eyes convey a child too wise for his years; his scenes with his mother (Toni Collette) are small, heartbreaking marvels. And even if you figure out the film's surprise ending, it packs an amazingly emotional wallop when it comes, and will have you racing to watch the movie again with a new perspective. You may be able to shake off the sentimentality of The Sixth Sense, but its craftsmanship and atmosphere will stay with you for days. --Mark Englehart |
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 Great acting, great screenplay |
| Review Date: January 24, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Reb, Florida |
| Have you ever watched a scary movie in the dark, and almost swore you saw someone moving out of the corener of your eye? I have, and after seeing this movie it happened a lot more. "The Sixth Sense" has great performances from Bruce Willis (who plays Malcolm, an emotionally wounded psychologist)and Haley Joel Osment (who plays Cole, a little boy with a remarkable gift:he sees dead people) The screenplay is wonderful. "They don't know they're dead," laments Cole."They think they're alive.They see what they want to see." Malcolm is determined to help him. His marriage has been failing ever since an old case that showed almost the same symtoms shot him in the side and then killed himself.Malcolm is determined not to let that happen to Cole. This is a remarkable movie with a Hitchcokian twist at the end.Watch it, and you'll be doing double takes next time you feel that strange presence behind your back. |
Perhaps the best film of 1999.
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| Review Date: January 15, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Nathan Alderman, Washington, DC |
| Writer/director M. Night Shymalan's "The Sixth Sense" is that rarest of breeds: an intelligent, well-made film that conquered the box office. Equal parts mystery, drama and bone-chilling horror, "Sense" deals with a weary, wounded child psychologist (Bruce Willis) whose latest patient (the remarkable Haley Joel Osment) has a mysterious and terrible gift: he sees ghosts. Shymalan, ably assisted by Tak Fujimoto's brilliantly icy cinematography, wrings suspense and terror out of empty doorways, split-second glimpses of figures in the background, and unknown things lurking in the dark. But this is hardly a cheap slasher film: perhaps the most wonderful aspect of this film is its message, that fear can be conquered through understanding and compassion. Cleverly plotted, bolstered by fine performances from Olivia Williams as Willis's melancholy wife and Toni Colette as Osment's worried mom, and graced with a twist ending worthy of Hitchcock, "The Sixth Sense" is a magnificently creepy film that will have you jumping at shadows long after it's over. |
You don't need a "Sixth Sense" to tell this one is good!
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| Review Date: January 23, 2000 |
| Reviewer: , Columbia, SC USA |
| There has never been a type of movie with more allure than the thriller series. Many have scared the socks off of their poor audience, with a paticular tip of the hat to "The Blair Witch Project," but this movie is different. The movie tells you with its story, its tone, and its color that something will happen, but you can not put your finger on it until the end. The movie supports no "cheap scares" present in movies like Scream in which a scene is not scary, just sudden and startling. This movie, "The Sixth Sense," Will make you afraid. Afraid of the dark, and afraid of being alone. The genuine surprise ending added closure to a genuine 21st century scary movie. And, with added footage, you will not want to miss "The Sixth Sense." Note: This movie is only for those who are not afraid to be truly afraid. |
The Sixth Sense
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| Review Date: February 2, 2000 |
| Reviewer: mekizidx@aol.com, usa |
| This movie was to say the least phenominal. The story unfoled before in ways that only books have before. All of this was done through the tormented young boy and his crutch for life Bruce Willis. During every scene I told my self repeatedly that I could not wait for it to become available on DVD..and soon (March 28th)! The same thing that I have told everyone, the movie is a solid 9 on it's own. The "ghost" could have had a few more scences. But when I knew the movie was over I thought that I really liked it and would watch it on video when it was released...THEN BANG! THE GREATEST ENDING I have seen in any movie ever. If nothing else, buy this DVD (or video) just for the ending alone and watch a story of one tormented boy,terrorised by the very same fears that got to us all in our youths and be mezmorised. |
The Film of the 20th Century
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| Review Date: January 10, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Shane Mclean, England |
| Wow - what can I say? A very intelligently scripted and amazingly acted film in which Bruce Willis proves that the action stereotype is just a misconception of him while he plays a child psychologist with a real sense of character. The supporting cast offer a uniformly high standard also, and with an amazingly scripted plot, make this the best film I have seen in a long, long time. If it's action you want then stay away, whereas if it is suspense, drama and plot you want order it now! Fantastic all round. Bet it makes you jump..... |
An Incredible Journey
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| Review Date: March 15, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Janet Jasmann, York, PA |
| I saw this movie at a local theater. Something happened there that I have never seen or experienced before. When the movie was over the entire audience filed out in almost perfect silence. You could just "hear" the wheels turning in everyone's head as they reviewed every scene for clues. This movie has found its way to my lifetime top ten list! |
One of the decade's best!
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| Review Date: April 18, 2000 |
| Reviewer: Jeremy George, Galloway, Ohio USA |
| Sight, smell, taste, touch, sound, and seeing dead people. In the '90s we've been constantly bored with horror movies: the Scream trilogy, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and so on and so on. Finally a horror film that gives depth to it's characters! This is just a great old-fashioned ghost story. What better place to set a ghost story than in Philadelphia? Every building has a history behind it (including young Cole's school). Any film that drops clues (the color red) and demands repeated viewings is worth buying. Haley Joel Osment (Cole), who may have the most lines in the movie, truley gives the year's best supporting performance (sorry Michael Caine). The movie grabs you immediately in the first five minutes and gives one of the best endings in recent memory. This is the role Bruce Willis will be best remembered. Also impressive is Toni Collete as Lynn Sear, the mother of Cole who feels so hopeless in helping her obviously torchured son. She makes triangle pancakes for him, takes him for a joy ride in a supermarket parking lot, and arranges get-togethers with the other kids, but she can't help him. Only Malcom Crowe can (Willis). But maybe Cole can also help Malcom. Only American Beauty was better in '99. Buy the DVD. Extra footage is very engrossing. |
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