Bruce Willis' BEST Acting Endeavor on Film . . .

Rating: 8/10 (19 September 1999)

. . . and Haley Joel Osment is a wonder. If both of these actors are not nominated for Academy Awards (and BOTH in the Best Actor category) then Hollywood is indeed a screwed up town. Willis' portrayal as the tormented child psychologist Malcolm Crowe is sensitive and compassionate, a beautifully realized, complete performance. And Osment's performance as the disturbed child Cole who has "the sixth sense" is astonishing--in my opinion, it's the best performance by a child actor in film since Patty Duke in "The Miracle Worker". The wonderful relationship that evolves between Malcolm and Cole is worth the price of admission alone. Also kudos to Toni Collette as Cole's ever-loving, always supportive Mom; to Olivia Williams as Malcolm's wife (in hindsight, one realizes that Williams pulls off an incredibly difficult technical piece of acting), and Donnie Wahlberg as Vincent, the anguished, tortured young man whom Malcolm could not save. I've seen the film twice now--blown away by it the first time, enjoying how well-crafted it is on the second round. The evil-spirited side of me was also looking for some hole, SOMEWHERE, in the film when I saw it again, but if a hole exists, I can't find it. Brilliant, disturbing, evoking laughter, tears, chills, and a great deal of thought, this is great film making.