Review by Binh Ngo
ROTTEN TOMATOES

I knew very little about this movie at the time of the screening. What I knew was that Bruce Willis plays a child psychologist named Malcolm and that he got injured in the opening sequences. Then a year later, he was sent to help out this child named Cole (Haley Joel Osment) who can see ghosts. I didn't know much other than that. I did see the trailer but it didn't reveal much about the movie - there was this one scene that was kind of creepy though.

Let me warn you, if you have a weak heart, you may want to avoid this movie or any other horror movies unless you have a good insurance plan and find yourself short at the end of the month. This movie will give you a scare. It fools you into lowering your guard with its slow pacing and character developments in the beginning half. I was really bored. I looked around and I saw some restlessness from the audiences. I heard some yawns, and some of them were from me.

Then the movie gets scary, really scary. When it is revealed that the boy, Cole, can see and communicate with ghost, we get to see what he sees and hears what he hears. What follows are not pretty. This movie plays around with our childhood fears a little bit. Remember when we were young and what we do to hide from those ghoulies? "The Sixth Sense" explores that to frightening results. Watching the movie at this point is tantamount to being on a roller coaster - holding tightly to the armrest while waiting for the next scare.

After that is over, the movie will try to move you to tears. You'll feel like apologizing to everyone you ever loved and telling them how much they mean to you. This part of the movie is particularly touching since we all know that deep down we have unspoken things we want to tell our loved ones but mistakenly thought there's all the time in the world or that we're just afraid to say them.

At this point in the movie, Malcolm has helped Cole learn to deal with his problems and Cole helps Malcolm in return to deal with his. The movie ends here with an interesting twist. It's a really good ending, and I never expect it to turn out that way. But everything falls into place and makes perfect sense. Great story!

Here is my gripe about the movie. Cole is too composed and too in control of himself for a person in his situation. When he's with the ghosts, he puts on a great performance. But when he's with the living, his character behaves like a loner who just avoids everything. Hello, this kid is seeing ghosts, shouldn't he be having a mental breakdown or something? Other than that, everyone gives a convincing performance. Bruce Willis just plays Bruce Willis.

It's a good thing that I didn't know much about the movie before I see it, or it might have spoiled the great ending. The story is pretty engrossing throughout with the exception of the first half of the movie. It's not only scary but touching as well. Overall, the characters put on a convincing performance. The best thing is that this movie doesn't need any explosions or car chases to carry the movie. The special effects here are all low budget fares done mainly by the good use of makeup. I highly recommend this movie.