Wow!

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 1999)

When I first saw the trailer for this film, I thought "ugh, here comes another bad Bruce Willis movie." Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Bruce. Always have been. He just isn't too careful with the roles he takes sometimes (Hudson Hawk, anyone?). That, plus this reminded me of that other movie he did about the autistic kid and the government codes and all that fun stuff. Well, this is most definitely NOT that movie! I could not have been more pleasantly surprised by this film. I truly enjoyed everything about it, from the slowly building chills to the Keyser Soze twist of an ending (I never saw it coming!) But I was most pleasantly surprised by the performance of Haley Osment as Cole. This kid was stunning. It is a rare thing to see such an emotionally honest performance from one so young. Two things kept going through my mind as I watched this kid: One, he deserves at least an Academy Award nomination. (yes, he was THAT good!) And two, this kid SHOULD have been Anakin in that earlier summer movie that claimed to be about a phantom. If you're looking for some special effects laden horror movie, go see the Haunting. If you're looking for a few REAL chills, great acting all around and a great story...see this movie!