Great Movie - Pity about the Last 10 seconds!

Rating: 8/10 (1 December 2000)

Wow - what a great movie! The plot of this movie, which is based around the hypothesis that comic strip is a form of history telling, and that it's characters have some sort of basis in reality - i.e. people with great strength, or special powers - is pretty far-fetched, as serious movies go.
However in the hands of M. Night Shyamalan, the pace of the movie rarely falters. His skill as a film maker is evident throughout, with exceptional camera work and direction - he has really brought excellent performances out of Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, actors who when left to their own devices have shown tendencies to merely 'be themselves'. Also noteworthy is the performance by Spencer Treat Clark as the son of Bruce Willis' character, which is moving yet restrained, which must have been difficult after the pressure of following Osment's turn in the 6th Sense.
I liked the ending, apart from the last 10 seconds which were dreadful and I cannot believe the director insisted on the 'text epilogue' which is given. In movies which are clearly not based on real life events, it is utter stupidity to have a text epilogue which suggests what happened to the characters, it would have been much better simply ending - why spoil a mesmerizing, thoughtful film by asking us to walk out of the cinema with that thought in mind? Similarly this occurred in a much less good film, Rules of Engagement, but with similar results.
I did however like the general end of the movie, and would recommend it to everybody. Many people are unfairly bashing this movie and comparing it to the Sixth Sense, but in my opinion, it is a very well made, intriguing film.