More than just a twist (which I promise I won't give away)

Rating: Null/10 (2 September 2004)

Hollywood films were really starting to get on my nerves and so were the idiots who reviewed them. Time after time I was promised something different, something that would leave me in awe, and time after time I was herded out of the theatre wondering if the art of film-making (and reviewing them) was finally dead.
But then I went to see The Village and was reminded that even big studios with big budgets occasionally fund a film of genuine quality.
Anyone who's seen Shyamalan's previous offerings will know his knack for enticing he viewer into the world he creates, and he's on form again here. Each shot is crafted for a purpose, each piece of dialogue enhances either character or plot.
The audience is forced to share the genuine terror of the Village's inhabitants each time they are visited by the mysterious creatures living beyond the trees.
But while Shyamalan takes star billing as writer/director, Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Howard add depth to the film with impressive performances.
Shyamalan performs his inevitable "two step shuffle" at the end to confound even experienced twist spotters. But in the past he's left me feeling a little cheated by the deception of it all, wanting to shout and scream at him for walking me down the garden path. But not with The Village. This time the story and the character's aren't undermined by the twist, they are simply seen in a new light.
The highest praise I can give is that you could take out the last ten minutes and it would still be a great film. Now can you say that about the "Bourne Supremacy"?