A boy who sees dead people

Rating: 6/10 (10 February 2015)

"The Sixth Sense" is a film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and usually seen as his best work. It runs for slightly over 100 minutes. The director also appears himself in the film again just like he usually does. I personally believe, however, that "Signs" is still his best work to this day. I have to say I enjoyed the first half of "The Sixth Sense" more than the second. It feels more intimate with basically the whole first half (after the shooting) being communications between Willis' and Osment's characters. If you know the final twist, it does not hurt the film at all. It even makes the interaction between Willis' character and his ex-wife more interesting: the Zoloft, her not speaking except "Happy anniversary!"... I've seen this film two or three times already and I always find something new and intriguing about it. The second half with the play and the interactions between the boy and other dead people did not do so much for me.
The film scored six Academy Award nominations that year. The only one I'm a bit baffled by is Toni Collette's, who I did not find that memorable. And Osment is obviously lead and not supporting. Back in 1999, over 15 years ago, this was the second most successful film of the year at the box office, right behind the newest Star Wars film. I felt the film was at its weakest when it tried to go too much for horror instead of mystery thriller. Most of the dialogs were very well written, so no need to include any of the cheap thrills instead.
Funnily enough, I watched the Witherspoon/Ruffalo comedy "Just like Heaven" before "The Sixth Sense" and in a way they are both about seeing dead (or almost dead) people. Of course, this one here is much more serious in tone. I recommend it and believe you should have seen it at least once, even if it certainly has more rewatch value than most people will admit, even if you know the final development of Willis' character. (I myself have to say I did not see it coming the first time I watched this movie.) Oh and if you liked Osment's work here, make sure to check out some of his other films. He did not have a career as great as this suggested he could, at least not yet, but he is a talented young actor, just like his sister Emily.