Beats the Sixth Sense

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2001)

What a career Night Shyamalan has ahead of him. The imagination of the man is incredible. To create two slow-burning, superbly-acted, thoroughly indulging masterpieces in the Sixth Sense and now Unbreakable, is a superb feat for a director so young, but to leave the viewers speechless at the last moment in both cases with twists that, while astounding, are not beyond belief, shows signs of genius. Few directors can make the viewer _need_ to see a film a second time, to retrace their steps and see what they missed, but this man can.
As with the Sixth Sense, Unbreakable will not be to everyone's taste, and a 12 certificate is perhaps unjustified as younger viewers may become impatient with the film's undeniably steady, ponderous pace and lack of the comic book action perhaps expected from the summaries. But what makes the movie so captivating is its intelligence and attention to detail - the numerous comparisons to comics, such as those concerning characters' personalities and appearances and the intuitive camera angles put to use by this original, resourceful director. Subtle injections of humour, moments to make the viewers take notice (such as Shyamalan's cameo) and his trademark sudden, shocking bursts of music and/or visual effects punctuate the story superbly.
Acting is top-notch - Bruce Willis once again proves his range stretches beyond decking bad guys as David Dunn, the uncomprehending hero, while Spencer Treat Clark gives another very credible performance which in my opinion matches the occasionally whiny Haley Joel Osment, and the gorgeous Robin Wright Penn performs excellently as Willis' wife. Of course Samuel L. Jackson puts in a dazzling show as the mysterious Elijah - one of his trademark rants appears, at an art gallery customer, and is hilarious.
Of course, the twist must be mentioned - like the Sixth Sense, if one gives the film 100% attention it is perhaps able to be foreseen but still leaves the viewer open-mouthed when it happens. Contrary to reports, it is perfectly believable and fulfilling - had the film ended without it, in my opinion one key part of the storyline wouldn't have been at all concluded, that being, why and how Elijah ever came across David. But of course, it all makes sense when the credits roll, and though I am usually disappointed by films which end with a wrap-up in the form of text, there's always an exception to the rule.
9/10