odd movie from Shyamalan but has his touch nonetheless

Rating: 7/10 (7 April 2006)

I had no idea what to expect from M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village," since I had heard nothing but awful things about it. It wasn't awful; there was a lot good in it, as Shyamalan, unlike some, is a thoughtful filmmaker. I don't think he's the man with the problem. I think it's his audience. They go, as they did in Signs, expecting to see a scary alien movie and are disappointed. With Shymamalan, it's never what's on the surface; it's always what lies beneath. And no matter the plot, what lies beneath an M. Night Shyamalan film is spirituality and some of life's fundamental questions.
The question here is: Can we really isolate ourselves from evil? A little village, bordered by a forest that contains some sort of evil creatures, is threatened when the creatures, for the first time, seem to be encroaching on the citizens' territory. When a near tragedy strikes, one of them (Bryce Dallas Howard) must go through those woods into the town - something never done.
There are some scary scenes, to be sure, but Shyamalan for me is never about the scary scenes so I'm not going to object that "The Village" wasn't terrifying enough. What I will say is that it does not have the pacing of his other films. It is drawn out with some slow patches in which nothing happens. Atmosphere is one thing, and it has plenty of that - but when that's all there is, a little judicious editing is called for.
Bryce Dallas Howard, as the blind Ivy, seems to have inherited the family acting talent - she is a real find and does a marvelous job with a large and difficult role. Joaquin Phoenix as well is very good. And then there are the actors with whom I was young - Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt - class casting for sure, and the two pros give beautiful performances. Hurt is really making a niche for himself as a character actor. Weaver is still beautiful enough to play leads if she can get cast in one. Broadway star Cherry Jones seems to be a favorite of Shyamalan's, and she is again on hand in a small role. To cast even a bit part with a double Tony award winner shows good taste.
Adrien Brody has had an odd career since his Oscar win. I advise him and Halle Berry, while we're at it, to get new agents. He plays what can best be described here as the village idiot. At first, I thought the character had Tourette's syndrome - well, there was something wrong anyway, and while I suppose he was good, I agree with one of the posters. He was annoying - a manic in a sea of soft-talking, well-mannered people.
Be advised - M. Night Shyamalan doesn't make horror films. Strange sometimes, surprising, spiritual, romantic. But the aliens et al are just bogeymen asking us to confront what needs to be confronted.