Outstanding, well-written and directed thriller. The ending not as surprising as you've heard.

Rating: 10/10 (25 September 1999)

This is an extremely well-written, and even better-directed thriller. M. Night Shyamalan never deviates from the feelings he evokes in the first few scenes. He is interested in mood and perspective.
Haley Joel Osment is captivating. He utterly ignites the screen. He manages to portray this part in a much more complex and subtle way than you'd expect from someone his age.
Toni Collette brings the right blend of motherly love, frustration and heeby-jeebies to the table.
This is one of the best performances Bruce Willis has ever turned in. He proves he can hold your attention without snappy one-liners.
Donnie Wahlberg looks like his music makes me feel.
The only thing that disappointed me with this film is the ending. Don't get me wrong -- it's great. But I had heard so much about it being the best ending in the history of civilization or something, and to be honest I thought it was a little obvious. I thought I knew it after 10 minutes, and I KNEW I knew it after 20. The Blair Witch Project was much more shocking in its ending.
Still, a first-rate film.
Much better than the Shining, which I thought it would try to rip off.