The Boy Who Should've Been Anakin

Rating: 8/10 (8 August 1999)

I went into the Sixth Sense without any expectations; after all, I wasn't paying. Well let me tell you, I thought it was great! I liked the visual moodiness of the film; it was almost expressionistic without the noir qualities. It was very eerie. I didn't even feel it was supposed to be scary except for the occasional cheap scare of someone jumping out of nowhere or the music suddenly appearing with enormous intensity. It was just that that world was somehow different than ours - visually.
I thought the acting was terrific. Bruce Willis has never been better. For a while, I even stopped thinking that he was John McClane. He was simply a child psychologist trying to help a troubled kid. The kid, by the way, was fantastic. He is possibly the best child actor/actress since Tatum O'Neil was in Paper Moon. This kid should have been Anakin in the Phantom Menace instead of Jake "Can't Act His Way Out Of A Paper Bag" Lloyd; but I don't want to get into that. This kid ran the gamut of emotions - fear, isolation, happiness, sadness, and confusion. He is a better actor than most adults in the SAG.
I was also a fan of the ending. That truly made the movie for me. The writer must have gone to the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari school of screenwriting. It was (POTENTIAL SPOILER) a brilliant plot twist - the best since The Usual Suspects.
When it comes down to it, the movie really knew what to do with emotions. The audience can really feel for the mother. She loved her son, but she didn't know what was going on with him. She didn't know what she could do for him; I'm sure a lot of parents have felt that way. Scratch that - I'm sure a lot of people have felt that way. Not only can we feel for the mother, but I felt bad for the kid. Quite frankly, his gift sucks; you can really feel for him. Every major character in the film can evoke the pity of the viewer from Bruce Willis to the father of the dead girl. Bottom line: Terrific writing - someone knows what their doing in Hollywood.

It's about time!