Intriguing Fable Of Everyman Gradually Discovering He May Not Be What He Seems

Rating: 6/10 (4 July 2009)

David Dunn is the sole survivor of a horrific train crash in Philadelphia. He is contacted by Elijah Price, a comics collector, who thinks David may be some kind of superhuman figure. At first, David dismisses Elijah as a crackpot, but slowly the evidence starts to build that Elijah may be right
This is the world's most unusual superhero movie (the only other contender being The Return Of Captain Invincible), with no action, no heroics, no costumes, no romance and an almost constant downbeat tone. It takes an absurd idea - that an Ordinary Joe wakes up one day and realises that he's indestructible - and presents it as poignant character drama. The story is very slight, but it's a typically courageous, interesting and offbeat one from the gifted Shyamalan. His task is to gently convince us that David is a comic-book hero and he and Willis succeed through clever storytelling, subtle performances and unhurried, engrossing film-making. The photography is first-rate throughout. It was shot by Eduardo Serra (Map Of The Human Heart, Girl With A Pearl Earring), the talented Portuguese cameraman who has made films everywhere, and he fills it with beautiful wide canvases, unsettling overheads and a terrific little upside-down motif that runs right through it. In this kind of a movie, it's more how the story is told than the story itself which makes the difference, and both the camera-work and James Newton Howard's soft score combine to beguile us into the mystery. Willis and Jackson are both excellent (and couldn't be more different from their previous teaming on Die Hard: With A Vengeance) and the support cast is good, with Shyamalan appearing in his regular small role as the guy Willis gives a shakedown at the stadium. This is perhaps not up there with Shyamalan's best (The Sixth Sense, The Village), perhaps because of its intentionally muted and simple storyline, but is still a terrific and highly original thriller/fantasy film.