it has happened again .
a movie that is well scripted , well acted , and well directed .
it is involving , suspenseful . . .
it even has an unexpected twist at the end
that packs a punch like a blow to the solar plexus .
but in order to accept its premise one must also accept a spiritual lie .
the sixth sense is that movie .
starring bruce willis ( armageddon ) as a child psychologist and haley joel osment ( forrest gump ) as a troubled youngster , the sixth sense is more spooky than scary , though it does contain disturbing images designed to startle .
eight - year - old cole sear ( osment ) sees dead people .
not just in dreams .
and not just as lifeless bodies .
he sees them walking around like regular people .
and he sees them all the time .
dr .
malcolm crowe ( willis ) is trying to help him .
he recognizes in cole many of the same attributes as one of his earlier patients whom crowe failed , resulting in that patient shooting crowe before turning the gun on himself .
if crowe could manage to find a way to help cole , he believes he just might be able to put his own demons to rest .
but first he needs to gain cole 's trust .
the boy is so frightened by what he sees , he has closed himself off emotionally , being unwilling to tell anyone . . .
not crowe , not even his own mother ( toni collette , clockwatchers ) . . .
about his " secrets .
" crowe begins to spend more and more time with him , even as his own marriage starts to dissolve around him , his wife anna ( olivia williams , rushmore ) becoming cold and distant because of his neglect of her and his preoccupation with the boy .
bruce willis underplays his role , allowing the excellent script to do most of the work of building character development .
crowe moves from treating a troubled boy who wo n't communicate , to treating a troubled boy who is having hallucinations , to wondering if perhaps there is n't some truth behind what the boy sees .
mr .
willis does a serviceable job , letting the focus remain on the story instead of on his familiar action hero screen persona .
eleven - year - old haley joel osment manages to impress us with his performance .
he demonstrates an amazing amount of self - composure as well as an ability to play nuances in a complex character
as if he were a seasoned pro .
it is fine work
for one of such a tender age .
keep your eye on this young man .
the supporting cast is also quite effective .
toni collette , as the confused , frightened , and frustrated mother who ca n't understand what is happening to her child ; olivia williams , as crowe 's once loving wife who is shutting down emotionally due to the lack of attention from her husband ; and donnie wahlberg ( ransom ) as crowe 's ex - patient , now grown , who illustrates his doctor 's failure to help him in the most vivid terms imaginable .
twenty - eight year old m . night shyamalan ( wide awake ) directed his own script , maintaining a proper tension throughout the film and crafting the storytelling so expertly that the film 's full impact is not reached until its final moments , when a surprising revelation forces a reevaluation of all that preceded it .
it is a rare movie which manages to pull that off and mr . shyamalan , as the one responsible , is certainly to be commended .
in giving the sixth sense a favorable " three star " review for its craftsmanship and artistic merit , i must also point out that , spiritually speaking , the film is highly misleading .
there is no scriptural foundation upon which to base a belief in ghosts or the " living dead .
"
the concept of death being a doorway to another plane of existence is a devilish lie that has been around as long as man himself .
the first lie recorded in the bible was devised by the serpent who assured eve , " thou shall not surely die , " a direct contradiction of god 's admonition .
that same lie has been perpetuated ad infinitum throughout the ages .
scriptures do speak of a time when the dead shall rise but that wonderful demonstration of victory over death will not commence until after the second coming of christ .
. .
an event which has not yet occurred .
therefore , the dead remain in a state of oblivion , having no consciousness , until that long - awaited time when the final trump shall sound .
and then , you 'll need six senses to register all the joy and rejoicing that will resound throughout the heavens .
Output: P