Damn, I loved this movie!

Rating: 9/10 (22 August 1999)

Combining elements of drama, thriller, and horror, this film could easily have been a muddled disaster. Indeed, the trailer didn't give a good impression of which type of movie to expect. Happily, the blend works beautifully, mostly thanks to the unbelievably mature performance of 11-year-old Osment and an amazing ending that will make you want to watch the movie all over again.
The film opens with a harrowing scene that sets the tone for some of the more disturbing images to come. Successful child psychiatrist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis) and his wife (Williams) are celebrating at home after he wins an award, when they are accosted by Vincent Grey (an emaciated and very frightening Wahlberg), a former patient who blames Crowe for failing to help him. The deranged Vincent first shoots Crowe in the stomach, then kills himself. Fast forward to Crowe meeting Cole Sear (Osment, best known as the son of Forrest Gump and last seen in Bogus), a young boy who suffers from the same type of "mood disorder" that Vincent did. Gaining the tormented child's confidence, Crowe eventually discovers that Cole thinks he is being visited by "dead people." Crowe's initial skepticism gives way after he hears something strange on an old tape recording of a session with Vincent. Together, he and Cole try to discover a reason for the visitations so that Cole won't have to live in fear any more. Meanwhile, his obsession with the boy threatens to derail his marriage as his wife becomes increasingly distant.
The Sixth Sense works because it plays out like a really good short story. The more dramatic moments are emotionally engaging, and humor is used to complement them. The brief scenes involving ghosts are quite creepy (thanks to their generally shocking nature and some fine makeup by Stan Winston). The characters of Cole and Crowe are well-developed, and convincingly portrayed. Willis, coming off the disappointing Mercury Rising, gives the man-helps-wunderkind premise another go, and this time he comes out a winner with an unexpectedly warm performance. Williams is used sparingly, but serves the story well. Collette is also effective as Cole's beleaguered mother. Best of all, though, is Osment. He gives Cole both the haunted maturity and wide-eyed terror needed to play a boy who is routinely subjected to horrific encounters with wronged ghosts. Given his tender age, he is almost impossibly good, certainly good enough to merit Oscar consideration. He and Willis work well together; there is a quirky chemistry between them that makes for some funny moments in the film.
Director M. Night Shyamalan (whose Dickensian name somehow fits this movie perfectly) once again explores the reactions of young children to traumatic events-- basically the same territory he covered in 1998's Wide Awake (which featured a similarly adult performance by young Joseph Cross). At only 28, Shyamalan has already developed a strong style as both a writer and director. Even in the slower moments, The Sixth Sense has enough intensity to keep things interesting, and it is capped off by a twist ending that is wickedly clever without seeming contrived.