A lot can happen in 10 years.

Rating: 9/10 (5 August 2010)

Ironically, I have viewed The Sixth Sense for the first time exactly 11 years after it opened. I remember distinctly when it was first released and the amount of buzz and tension it caused those who saw it. Unfortunately, I was not one of them but I am certainly glad that I have gotten to it now.
In many ways, this has become a film of iconic proportions. Only saying the words, "I see dead people," gets a response out of most people. This film is also one of the reasons Bruce Willis is a star and the reason Haley Joel Osment is a household name. Beyond all that however, what it really comes down to is the potential shown by this film for a newcomer named M. Night Shyamalan, who might be today the most hated director in Hollywood. The reason for that is because he showed such talent and poise both in writing and directing and to see such marvelous talent go to waste on projects such as Lady in the Water, The Happening and The Last Airbender is the true disappointment.
Without going into details, I must say to anyone who hasn't seen this film yet (and there are probably few), that this is filmmaking of the highest order. Shyamalan here shows impeccable timing and great ability to use editing, lighting and an incredible score by James Newton Howard to create true and genuine suspense and terror in multiple scenes. Knowing the major plot twist only because I have lived in America for the last ten years, I was still drawn into the story due to the emotional content involving Malcolm Crowe and his wife as well as the relationship between Cole and his mother. The most tantalizing scenes are when things happen to Cole and it is remarkable how Shyamalan stages and crafts each and every frame.
So, ten years later we find Shyamalan with five more films under his belt with only two being well-received and the rest either panned or hated soon after. Is he still a talented filmmaker. I believe so but it is astonishing to see his descent since and one can't help but wonder what went wrong. I don't know but something did and I pray and hope that somehow, someway, Shyamalan will find his way back to the type of material and style he used to make this such a great film.