Masterfully made psychological thriller

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2020)

With a stunning knock out performance by James McAvoy! Three teenage girls (Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson and Jessica Sula) are abducted by a man named Kevin formally with split personality disorder. They need to escape him before a life-threatening 24th personality is unleashed. That's the basic setup for this brilliant and massively engaging film that is one of Shyamalan's best works. McAvoy is truly outstanding in the central role; his best performance to date and he really seems to transcend through the role, showcasing his incredible talent. Sudden but natural shifts from scary to serious to funny to sad and disturbing are expertly crafted by him and the same most certainly can be said for the tone of the film which is so fantastically and seamlessly put together. Anya Taylor-Joy is outstanding in the role of Casey; a character whose survival instincts are second to none and abuse she has suffered in the past is not exploited and shown in just the right amount of flashbacks. She totally stands tall next to the monolithic performance McAvoy conveys. Betty Buckley is also great as Dr Fletcher; a constant support for Kevin. The music by West Dylan Thordson is tense, twisted and at times emotional. It's so much more than just an abduction film; although that is its theme, it's quite unlike any other in that vein. Such a cool twist right in the last seconds too. A brilliant film that elevates to classic status mainly thanks to two insanely great performances