Cut the guy some slack!

Rating: Null/10 (2 August 2004)

"The Village" IS different from all other Night films. "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," "Signs" -- all of these struck me as brilliantly conceived and made, and I loved them because of the humanity they showed. When "The Village" was over, I didn't know what to think or how to feel about it, and felt vaguely cheated without knowing quite why. But then my husband and I started discussing the film. He drew my attention to several aspects that I had, frankly, missed. And for the rest of the evening, wonderful things about the movie kept occurring to us. Here's what I finally came down to: Night is a genius who has made multiple brilliant films. Maybe "The Village" is less brilliant -- or maybe it's MORE brilliant. The important thing is that Night took the risk. He wasn't afraid to risk everything he's built so far. I'm liking "The Village" more and more as I think about it, and my respect for the filmmaker has grown, too. He took the risk. Most of us who are criticizing him HAVE NEVER MADE A MOVIE. He's done it over and over; each one delights in a different way; and he never plays it safe. Give him a break.