Outstanding. 6th Sense was NOT a one-off for Willis/Shyamalan

Rating: Null/10 (31 May 2001)

Alright, alright. Anyone here not seen The Sixth Sense? Well it doesn't matter because contrary to some opinions Unbreakable is not a sequel to said sleeper hit. Yeah, it's got Willis in. Yeah, it's the same director. And yeah, one of the principles is a 12 year old boy but the two films are (in some ways) chalk and cheese and knowledge (or lack) of Sense's famous twist won't ruin Unbreakable in any way. Which is just as well, as the best thing you could possibly take with you to see the film is a complete lack of knowledge about it.
Unbreakable has a simple hook: Man becomes sole survivor of catastrophic train crash and discovers that he was completely unhurt during the incident. Not a scratch, bruise or broken finger nail. Where it goes from there will truly amaze you, if you're prepared to let it. Whatever you expect the film to be it probably won't so it will take an open-minded audience to accept not only the concept but the events and the characters as they unfold.

Shyamalan has definitely improved as a director. In both confidence and style the man has grown to the point where he's prepared to do 5 minute or so scenes in single takes. His method is incredibly old fashioned. No MTV editing here. No whip pans, Hitchcock zooms or bullet time either. Instead Shyamalan glides his camera carefully over the proceedings, slowly moving to the actors faces and giving them plenty of time to recite their dialogue. To some this will be boring but the atmosphere it generates is palpable. The film is drenched with it and an ominous feeling that the end won't be as happy as you hope never subsides.
The cast respond with excellent performances for the most part. 12 Monkeys and 6th Sense proved that Willis seems to be a different actor altogether when he's allowed to naturally underplay his part instead resorting to in-yer-face Die Hardism's. David Dunne is an obviously unhappy person and Willis manages to capture every twinge of his disappointment and lack of satisfaction with life. As events get more and more inexplicable the uncertainty and fear Dunne has with the future is all too apparent. Spencer Treat Clarke (Lucius from Gladiator) proves that Haley Joel Osment is far from the only kid on the block capable of out-acting the adults. His contribution is comparatively small but vital. But Sam Jackson walks away with the acting honours. His feeble, brittle, nerdy Elijah Price is as far away from the badassedness of Shaft or Jules Winfield as you can get. That he makes you forget those characters and focuses you on this one is a testament to his ability. It's unfair to say he carries the film but you miss him whenever he's off screen.
The only sour grape is Robin Wright-Penn as Willis' soon to be ex-wife. Whether she's been short changed by the script or isn't putting her time in is difficult to say but she's much better than this and only appears in 2D, black and white terms. There are other faults as well. Some of the monologues are a little syrupy, one scene in particular is too damn forced and occasionally Shyamalan's sluggish pace will have you checking your watch.
These are minor matters compared to the films central concept, which I'm still not going to mention. Some of you will lap it up, others will think it's silly. Either way you'll probably make up your mind in the first minute as to whether you want to stay or not. It's not a ghost story, no matter what anyone says. It's not a thriller though some scenes (particularly one involving Jackson, a staircase and a slip) will have you flinching in horror. And it's certainly not a comedy but some gentle humour creeps it's way in, and a couple of in-jokes will have certain sections of the populous quietly chuckling.
So In the end, should you see it or not? Well this is the trickiest question of all. I would recommend it to any serious film fan and to anybody with a soft spot for the X-Files or Twilight Zone. Casual moviegoers may want to ask friends first. I, for one, adored it but it's nowhere near as crowd friendly or as specific as 6th Sense so don't see/avoid it out of your opinions of that film. It has the potential to annoy some of its viewers but it also has the potential to confound, surprise, compel and fuel pub chats for months. If you don't come out of the theatre with your heart a-pounding from the denouement, well don't say I didn't warn you.