A feel-good horror from an emerging master storyteller -- a masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (26 November 1999)

"The Sixth Sense" tells the story of the young tormented boy Cole Sear (played superbly by Haley Joel Osment), child psychologist Dr. Crowe (played by Bruce Willis in for me the best performance of his career to date), and Cole's fiercely loyal mother Lynn (played by Australian Toni Collette). I happened to catch Osment in an episode of "Walker: Texas Ranger" shortly before seeing this film. He was a few years younger in that but his acting was uncannily affecting for such an unintelligent television program (its not surprising he was nominated for a Young Artists award for his performance). He stole the show in that, as he did in this. Everyone seemed to be commenting after the film on how good 'the kid' was -- including me. I'd hazard a guess to say that he's one child actor who will maintain a strong acting career throughout his adolescence and into adulthood.
Told with genuine tension -- hats off to the writer/director M. Night Shyamalan -- occasionally you'll jump in your seat, a chill will run down your spine, and the hair on the back of your neck may even stand up. The final dÃ©nouement was superb (and that's all I'll say about that). In a word (or three), a must see. "The Sixth Sense" is without doubt one of the best films I have seen for a long, long time.
If you loved this film, check out Shyamalan's previous film "Wide Awake", a feel-good comedy, also dealing with the spiritual.
Mr. Shyamalan -- you are a master storyteller.