Le sixième sens

I am embarrassed to admit that the only reason I saw THE SIXTH SENSE when I did was because THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was sold out. I hadn't seen BLAIR WITCH yet but I heard great reviews, and of course it was sold out when I went to see it. So my friend and I decided to see THE SIXTH SENSE instead. Not only did it turn out to be a better movie than BLAIR WITCH is, but it turned out to be one of my favorites.

THE SIXTH SENSE is about an award-winning child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), who is depressed because one of his former clients committed suicide because Crowe was unable to help him. Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is a child that has social problems frighteningly similar to Crowe's old client, so Crowe decides he will try to help this child in order to find redemption. Cole later reveals that this problem goes well beyond normal social problems. He claims to be able to see the ghosts of dead people, but no one else can.

The acting in THE SIXTH SENSE was superb. Olivia Williams does well as Anne Crowe, Willis' depressed wife, and Toni Collette does a great job as Lynn Sear, Osment's loving mother who is very concerned for her child. I think that Bruce Willis is at his very best in this movie, and I happen to be a fan of Willis. But I think that Haley Joel Osment stole the show. He did an amazing job, expressing more combined emotions that most adult actors have to deal with. He is definitely the best child actor I've ever seen, and I am glad that Bruce Willis let him have the spotlight.

The plot is very entertaining, though at times you may wonder where it is going. The ending is the best part of the movie, and it completely changes whatever you originally thought of the whole story line. I applaud the advertisers of THE SIXTH SENSE for not leaving a trace of the surprise ending in the previews of the movie (unlike DOUBLE JEOPARDY) and I certainly will not give it away in this comment. But I will say that it will completely surprise most all of you. (I think many that say that they saw it coming are probably lying.)

THE SIXTH SENSE is one of my favorite movies, and I think it is surely one of the best films of 1999. I hope it wins many Oscars this year, and I recommend that you go out and buy this movie now.

This is an incredibly powerful film. Awash with emotion but never stooping to sentimentality this is the story of one frightened little boy you will never forget. All your worst childhood nightmares: the noises in the attic, the intruder in your house, that cold breath that makes your hair stand on end are here and then some.

Bruce Willis gives one of the best performances of his career as the child psychologist trying to get himself back on track after a violent encounter with a former patient and it would be a crime if Haley Joel Osment were overlooked at coming awards ceremonies for his powerful performance here. It has been a long time since a child actor displayed such maturity in a role. Cole's innocent little face hidden behind his absent father's large-framed spectacles betrays a child coming to terms with a terrifying secret in the only way he can.

You don't need to go and see this film again to realise why the end is such a surprise but you will rush out to watch it again purely because it's an almost perfect example of it's genre.

Laugh, cry, jump a mile out of your seat, sigh with relief - but not too early... We did!

This was hyped big-time when it came out and, if memory serves me, was a good conversation piece among those who saw it at the theater.

I didn't see it for a few years afterward, on tape and now on DVD. It was very good but I didn't find it as "the greatest movie ever" as some did. It is an involving story, however, and I've come to appreciate it more with multiple viewings. I've seen it three times, the last one looking for mistakes to disprove the surprise ending....but couldn't find any. The filmmakers covered their tracks. However, a couple of scenes were misleading. Those who have seen this movie know what I'm talking about. For those who haven't, I'm not going to spoil it here.

I enjoyed both Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment as the two leads. Willis has had many action-packed, profane macho roles in his career but I like him best when he's low key, as he is in here (and in "Unbreakable," to name another fairly-recent movie) The story is slow-paced but it sure is not boring. In a way, it's nice to see a slower-paced film be a big hit, as this was.

Osment, meanwhile, is a terrific child actor, as he has proved in other films. He's simply one of the best of his young generation. He and Dakota Fanning are the two best child actors I've seen in many years.

This isn't just some supernatural-horror movie. It's a nice human interest story. There is one scene late in the movie in which Osment's mom is having a talk with her young boy in the car. It is an extremely touching scene that brings tears - a great moment in the film.

The Sixth Sense is a brilliant film, plain and simple. It is unique in that it relies on imagination and psychology to scare you and make you think twice about the world around you. The director did a fabulous job constructing the imagery of the film, and I genuinely did not know about the ending until it was revealed. Quite a shock! The Sixth Sense goes in my book as the single greatest psychological horror film I have ever seen. Anyone who bashes it are simply not giving it a chance or don't fully realize the complex dialog and imagery around them. Brilliant

What makes this film so wonderful to watch is not simply the acting, or the terror it instills, or even the plot itself. It is the way in which the writer/director M. Night Shyamalan takes his vision from the page, and carefully crafts a tale that completely absorbs the viewer. As a result, we are treated to a wealth of emotion: fear, sadness, joy, confusion, and humor, each one a compliment to the other.

Haley Joel Osment delivers, plain and simple. By now, so much has been said about the young actor that any more would be repetition. Needless to say, his portrayal of Cole Sear is remarkable. His ability to communicate, through a simple look or gesture, the depths to which his character's soul has been thrust is what truly carries the film. He succeeds at this task beautifully, convincing us while never going over the top; indeed, by the time Cole utters his now-famous line, you not only believe him, you are chilled by the fact that Osment the actor may actually believe it himself.

Bruce Willis turns in a stellar performance, complimenting his young co-star while never overshadowing him. It is a tribute to his respect of the material in so much as he fine tunes his delivery to seem reserved, yet not too toned down.

The Sixth Sense is more than simply a wondrous two hours. It has, in effect, created a new genre of filmmaking... the film is neither drama, nor horror, nor action. Rather, it is a seamless blending of all three, a film that encompasses the best aspects of each genre, without being limited by the worst. Hollywood has taken notice of this, and one can only expect a series of poor imitations to follow. But at least they'll always have The Sixth Sense to guide the way.