when i saw the trailer for " the sixth sense , " i did n't expect much from it .
my snap judgment was that it was a watered - down version of " the shining " or possibly a late - entry in the glut of angel - related movies / tv shows of a couple years ago .
but all the buzz motivated me to give it a shot .
it turned out to be one of the most satisfying movie experiences of the year .
bruce willis plays child psychologist malcolm crowe .
at the beginning of the movie , he is admiring an award the city has given him for his work , but he is soon confronted by vincent , a patient malcolm failed years earlier ( donnie wahlberg - former new kid - in an impressive cameo ) .
a year passes , and malcolm is treating another child with the same symptoms vincent displayed .
cole sear ( haley joel osment ) is a withdrawn kid who is called " freak " by the other boys in the neighborhood .
weird things seem to happen around cole - his mother ( olivia williams ) leaves the kitchen for a moment and returns to find every cabinet and drawer open even though cole has n't moved - and cole seems to know things that a kid his age
shouldn't - for example , that there was once a gallows in his school .
he steals religious icons from churches to build a chapel in a pup tent in his bedroom .
the trailer gave away the movie 's first major plot twist .
if it had n't , the first hour of the movie would be more engrossing because we would n't know what 's wrong with cole .
if you 're lucky enough to have not seen the trailer , stop reading this review right now and go see " the sixth sense .
"
anyway , since the trailer gave it away , i figure it 's fair game to discuss here .
once malcolm gains cole 's trust , cole reveals his secret : he sees ghosts everywhere .
dead people wander around not knowing that they 're dead , invisible to everyone except cole .
malcolm gradually begins to realize that cole is telling the truth .
the box office success of " the sixth sense " has generated a lot of press about how horror movies rule the box office this year and lots of theories about why that 's so .
i hate to burst anybody 's bubble , but " the sixth sense " is n't really a horror film .
at its core , " the sixth sense " is a touching story of how a troubled kid and an emotionally - scarred adult help each other to move past their problems .
some scenes with the ghosts are wonderfully creepy , though .
one
that really got to me
: the ghost of a boy says to cole , " i 'll show you where my dad keeps his gun " ; when the ghost turns , we see the bullet wound in the back of his head .
osment gives the best performance i 've ever seen from a child actor .
it 's hard enough to find a grown - up in hollywood who can give a subtle , realistic portrayal !
although willis gets top billing , cole is really the protagonist of the story , and osment truly brings the complex kid to life . if only willis ' work were as impressive .
accustomed to delivering catchphrases rather than dialogue , willis is stiff and awkward as malcolm , his most challenging role to date .
( this is a bad omen for his next movie , " the story of us , " which chronicles the ups and downs of a marriage ) .
writer / director m .
night shyamalan has a light , poetic touch that goes to the heart of the viewer without seeming sappy or trite .
he 's also a skillful storyteller , as the movie 's ending demonstrates .
only when the final secret is revealed do you realize that shyamalan has been hinting at it throughout the movie .
look for a cameo by the director as a doctor who treats cole .
bottom line :
osment should get an oscar nomination , and you should go see this movie .
has a light , poetic touch that goes to the heart of the viewer osment should get an oscar nomination , and you should go see this movie truly brings the complex kid to life gives the best performance i 've ever seen from a child actor one of the most satisfying movie experiences of the year a skillful storyteller , as the movie 's ending demonstrates that really got to me