Solid if underwhelming work

Rating: 6/10 (9 August 2010)

The Sixth Sense is a solid supernatural melodrama, whose reputation as something far better may leave new viewers underwhelmed and pondering its accolades. Known as the film that made M. Night Shyamalan a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood (a reason to be annoyed with it right there), the film is well written but follows a relatively unsurprising path up until its "shocking" twist climax which apparently had rather dull-witted viewers who had never before seen a film inventing superlatives to describe it. The story focuses on a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) with the ability to "see dead people" as the film's notorious tagline informs us and the relationship that develops between his stoic psychologist Bruce Willis and himself. There are a number of things to like about the film. It is atmospheric, solidly constructed and features a truly amazing central turn by young Osment, who is both believable and sympathetic as the beleaguered young boy. Toni Collette is also memorable as the boy's concerned mother. There are a few jolts here and there, but the film somehow never manages to be truly terrifying - largely because sharp-eyed viewers will intuit early on that the specters mean the boy no harm. On the downside, the film would be benefited from a better leading man. Even fans of Willis must admit that his cinema acting can be divided into two classes: smarmy or lifeless. The more serious the drama, the more lifeless Willis becomes. His chemistry with Osment is often as chilly as the temperature drop that precedes a ghost. In fact, the very tenor of his performance helps give away the much heralded surprise climax. One cannot discuss this film without touching on the climax - which is really the aspect that pushed this film over-the-top, but it is hard to explain why since many viewers will figure it out within the first 20 minutes and will not be the least blown away by the final revelation. The fact that the revelation really has no bearing on the plot itself or the personal outcome of the young boy's future is bad enough, but even worse is the fact that Willis' detached demeanor robs it of much in the way of emotional punch either. A good, but not a great film from a director known more now for his missteps than his classics.