Two Films in One

Rating: 8/10 (13 April 2014)

I liked this film up until the final scene, which made me love it. I disagree with many here. I didn't see the clues or hints. I didn't see them at all. It completely came as a shock. And when I watched it again, I saw it in a completely different way. It felt like I had watched not one, but two films. Very rarely does a film this perfect come out. A film that hits everything it wants to and possibly even more. From the bright red coloured objects in high strung moments to the scene where the girl's father finds out that his wife poisoned their daughter, it simply gets everything spot on.
The fear factor isn't what makes this film good. It shouldn't be compared to other horrors. It's trying to send different messages across. It has very few 'jump' scenes and moments that make you feel cold. It is supposed to make you feel for the dead and become understanding. It makes you feel how the boy, Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), feels throughout the movie. And, most importantly, it makes you feel for the doctor, Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), in the final scene. It is a very unique, exciting film.
M. Night Shyamalan both writes and directs this nigh perfect film. He makes every scene, every revelation, have the perfect feeling to it. Somehow, he makes us feel how the two main protagonists feel throughout the movie through both the writing and directing. One big problem people seem to have with 'The Sixth Sense' is Malcolm Crowe. People dislike how he could spend years with his wife and not realise that he was dead and she couldn't see him.
If you pay attention, you'll see that he skips through his daily life. He misses certain parts, even days, without realising. A big example is when he can't open the basement door. He reaches for his keys in his pocket, but then he's in the cellar. He never got his keys out, he's supposed to have just appeared there without realising he hadn't opened the door. This happens at other moments in the film, if you look closely. He just appears with Cole or his wife, shifting between the two.
The film really is a masterpiece. You'll probably miss many rules and clues throughout the movie, as I did, so I suggest you watch the special feature 'Rules and Clues' which is very interesting and explains things you miss or problems you think there are when there aren't. Unlike most special features, this film has interesting ones with Shyamalan and the crew, who also did a fantastic job creating the movie. I highly recommend the features nearly as much as I do the film.
Overall, a very nice film made a masterpiece by the final moments. Throughout the entire thing, I felt that Malcolm was helping Cole, but it turns out they were both helping each other, Cole actually helping Malcolm more than Malcolm is Cole. A film that you watch entirely differently a second time around must be one of the greatest. This deserves to be in the Top 100 films, but I'm satisfied with its current placing. It deserves the attention and awards it has got. A true masterpiece.