Intriguing, quiet follow-up

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2001)

Good stuff from Shyamalan and Willis, following up their Sixth Sense smash with an equally subdued, whispery sort of film with an even more intriguing set-up. Riffing around comic book themes and investigating the form and style of the comic itself, the story follows Willis from everyday Joe living a greyed-out kind of life through some startling revelations from a frighteningly fragile Samuel L Jackson, leading into a look at how the creation of a superhero might work out in a more realistic sort of world. While the final pay-off is less shocking and ingenious than the end of Shyamalan's previous effort, this one doesn't need the surprise ending so much to make it work, having provided enough interest and food for thought in the main body of the film that the little twist in the tail is just an added extra rather than the point and focus of the picture. If he can keep turning out work of this quality, and keep innovating and surprising, Shyamalan will probably be king of the world in no time.