A fine horror film.

Rating: 7/10 (27 September 2006)

The Sixth Sense is set in Piladelphia where child psychologist Dr Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) & his wife Anna (Olivia Williams) are enjoying a quiet evening in when one of Malcolm's former patients Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg) breaks into his house & shoots him... Jump forward to 'The Next Fall' & Malcolm has a new patient, a young troubled boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) who is withdrawn, isolated & seems unhappy. As Malcolm befriends Cole & earns his trust Cole confesses a shocking secret that may well have a great impact on Malcolm himself...
Written & directed by M. Night Shyamalan The Sixth Sense was a huge hit back in '99 with 6 Oscar nominations & it became only the fourth horror film to be nominated for best picture, as a film it is as good as ever. The script is somewhat slow & deliberately paced, The Sixth Sense relies on quality storytelling & strong character's for it's impact & entertainment value rather than the recent trend of Hollywood horror films that want to incorporate as many fancy expensive computer graphics as they can. The much talked about & often spoiled twist ending is highly effective especially if you are unaware of it. The character's are well developed & you actually care for them which makes the film what it is, the dialogue is good & I can't remember a single swear word in it. The Sixth Sense is a fantastic modern day ghost story that hits all the right notes & may even bring a tear to a few people's eyes. The only negative is that I don't like long films which The Sixth Sense feels like, that's not a specific problem I suppose as it's a personal preference that I just don't like long films as I lose interest very quickly & that's just the way I am so if your looking for explosions, fights & car chases every five minutes you'd best give this one a miss. When all said & done for what it is it's still a great film though.
Director Shyamalan does a functional job, there's no flashy camera-work here but again this is a film which relies on good storytelling & character's that is set in the real world. Keeping things very low key works well. There's a good atmosphere & some pretty creepy scenes.
With a supposed budget of $55,000,000 I don't quite know where the money went & The Sixth Sense doesn't look like it cost 55 big ones. It's flawlessly made & has great production values. The acting is fantastic & everyone puts in a heartfelt performance.
The Sixth Sense is a great horror film, there's the odd scare, some great performances, an absorbing & engaging story together with a classic twist ending. Well worth a watch, definitely recommended.