M. Night Shyamalan neutralizes Willis's star presence with impressive plotting that's a fine excuse for the powerful atmosphere.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
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Reviews Counted:27
Fresh:21
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: M Night Shayamalan's The Sixth Sense is a twisty ghost story with all the style of a classical Hollywood picture, but all the chills of a modern horror flick.
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: In M. Night Shyamalan's THE SIXTH SENSE, Bruce Willis plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a successful Philadelphia child psychologist who is haunted by the sudden reappearance and suicide of a former... In M. Night Shyamalan's THE SIXTH SENSE, Bruce Willis plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a successful Philadelphia child psychologist who is haunted by the sudden reappearance and suicide of a former patient. Months later Dr. Crowe encounters Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a troubled, withdrawn young boy who bears a striking similarity to his earlier patient. Dr. Crowe is compelled to help Cole, not only for the boy's sake, but for his own redemption. As Dr. Crowe struggles to determine what torments Cole, he must also come to terms with his increasingly distant relationship to his wife (Olivia Williams). Meanwhile, Cole is unable to describe the horrible things he sees even to his worried mother (Toni Collette). The scene where Cole finally tells Dr. Crowe about his supernatural secret is one of the 1990s most quoted and well-known cinematic moments. A gripping ghost story with a stunning finale, THE SIXTH SENSE became a surprise blockbuster shortly after its release. The film features Oscar-nominated performances by the startlingly intense Osment and the fiercely maternal Collette, as well as a subtle, subdued turn by Willis. Shyamalan directs his intriguing script with almost clinical precision, using carefully framed visuals to create the film's distinctly chilling atmosphere. On the strength of its pitch-perfect acting and direction, THE SIXTH SENSE has become the most successful thriller of all time. [More]
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Donnie Wahlberg, Mischa Barton, Trevor Morgan, Glenn Fitzgerald
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Barry Mendel
Composer: James Newton Howard
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Release:
May 6, 2003
Reviews for The Sixth Sense
An effectively understated and moodily engrossing ghost film with a surprisingly satisfying jolt at the end.
Billed as a 'chilling, psychological thriller,' this movie is actually none of those things.
An intense, haunting, often beautifully crafted character study and meditation on the nature of death and life after death.
I had to employ all of my usual tricks to keep from falling asleep!
There's more fright in any 10 minutes of The Sixth Sense than the sensory startle effects The Haunting produces in its entire running time.
The biggest piece of supernatural hooey since estranged wife Demi Moore's The Seventh Sign.
It's a rarity for a movie to be willing to try your patience like The Sixth Sense does and even more of one for your perseverance to be so amply rewarded.
Too often the film gets lost in overlit opulence and the soundtrack going 'boo.'
But just as scary, or at least as unsettling, is the film's presentation of human existence as an endless series of tragedies and agonies, relieved only by foolish distraction.
The Sixth Sense has a kind of calm, sneaky self-confidence that allows it to take us down a strange path.
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
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