M Night Shyamalan and Bruce Willis Second Effort

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2009)

Story of a security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis) who is not the only the sole survivor of a horrific train accident but is also completely uninjured, as Dunn works to rebuild his relationship with his wife (Robin Wright Penn) he is contacted by a mysterious man Elijah Price(Samuel L Jackson) who has some unusual questions for him.
The casting of Bruce Willis, Samuel L Jackson and Robin Wright Penn alone puts this film above your average genre picture especially when they are each given ample opportunity to display their craft as opposed to simply bridging the big action scenes.
Yes this is essentially a super hero origins story, which many may not be aware before viewing the film. But it's not your typical superhero film, in execution its closer to the television series "Heroes". Like "Heroes" a lot of time is spent on the characters background and development with the gradual realization of their abilities. It also doesn't have the nicknames, costumes or gadgets one might associate with the comic book superhero. The film moves at a very deliberate pace that many might find slow but the fine performances and gradual unfolding of an interesting story should make it worthwhile for most.
Some of the shots are obviously framed like a comic book though less obtrusively than some other presentations, and as with most of Shyamalan films there is considerable attention to the visual elements and lots of darkness. There is also considerable emphasis on color.
Although many have been disappointed with much of Shyamalan's post "Sixth Sense" output, I find this film to be on par with its better known predecessor. Recently Shyamalan has said he is considering a sequel.