A T.V Movie masquerading as a Blockbuster (Not that that's bad)

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2000)

In this day of the high concept one sheet isn't it amazing how the biggest films are, well, not really categorizable.
Sinking ships?
Animated toys?
Washed up 60's spys?
And now we have The Sixth Sense. Willis is a depressed, disorientated child psychiatrist who has to deal with an apparently reclusive, paranoid child (The remarkable Osment)who exasperates his mother played by Collette (Again excellent). We keep on being told that their "three minute culture" attention spans mean slow paced mood pieces like this just won't make it with the popcorn set. Wrong. This film starts slowly, and never speeds up. And It's just because of this slow pace that it generates it's extraordinary power. Willis gives a performance that is so understated it almost seems as if he isn't acting. It turns out the child sees dead people. What is then discovered is the nub of the plot. Rather like Psycho, to reveal any more would ruin it. Shyamalan directs with an aplomb that is tight and underplayed. The whole feel of the piece is positively European. Because of our conditioning from a succesion of easy thrills Hollywood schlock you assume certain scenes will end with gore and splatter. Instead Shyamalan takes the pace down every time. Atmosphere oozes from every scene. This is quality filmmaking for the masses that doesn't take you for granted.
It's not a classic.
It is a bloody good piece of entertainment