THE SIXTH
SENSE
(Brucey, Haley Joel Osment (awesome little kid)
I have a confession…..I am a wimp with movies because I'm a crier….
AND A MALE.
The last time I was brought to serious tears by a film was the romantic tragedy, "Titanic". My wife and I BAWLED….BOTH TIMES.
Before that, we both fell victim to the romantic fantasy, "Ghost".
Therefore, you can imagine my surprise when I entered the suspense/supernatural horror film "The Sixth Sense" and was reduced to a near car accident on the drive home afterwards due to my eye rain.
Let's just say that it hit a little too close to home….but not until the final, mass-twist ending. Until that point, I sat frozen in suspense with the rest of the audience.
Who woulda thought that a film with Mr. Willis could have that effect on anyone?
Think about it: it would take one moonlighting, die-hard boy-scout to come within striking distance of expecting anything emotional from a Willis flick, and that person would definitely be the last man/woman standing.
But it happened.
Here's why……
Bruce is a child psychologist on the up-go when he is shot by a former patient, a patient who was never cured and gets his revenge 10 years later. This little incident appears to have turned Bruce's career upside down for a good year. His previously rewarded reputation is gone and his marriage is crumbling.
He then meets disturbed, 11 year old, Osment.
Why disturbed at such a young age?
Abuse?……no.
Crippled?….no.
Diseased?……nope.
Ever have a dream that you could see dead people?
And I'm not talkin' having Séance conversations with the grandparents or Sigmund Freud. I'm talking about actually seeing dead people EVERYWHERE……and they appear to you as they looked when they died or were killed.
Now, imagine the difficulty an 11-year-old would have in getting anyone to believe this to be true as opposed to an over-active imagination. And try to picture this kid's performance being anything less than hokey…..afterall, his co-star IS Bruce Willis.
Pretty tough, eh?
Well, if for no other reason, see this film for its acting and believability in the character's scaredness.
You will find that you remain uneasy, though thrilled every time this kid makes an appearance, which is pretty much the bulk of the film. He is frightened and paranoid throughout and those emotions eventually overcome skeptical Willis who makes a discovery while listening to an audio tape involving his former, gun-handy patient 10 years prior….and the correlation it proposes to his new young patient.
The film is a bit slow at first due to characterization and their backgrounds. But you'll find that the boy keeps you attentive throughout.
It makes you feel that something is going to happen to him around every corner, and you find yourself running away with him from the lurking terror…..
Because you know that whatever it is…..
It's NOT alive.
B+