The Sixth Sense
Composite Score: 84.23
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Trevor Morgan, Donnie Wahlberg, Peter Anthony Tambakis, and Jeffrey Zubernis
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Genres: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense thematic material and violent images
Box Office: $672.81 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Sixth Sense is M. Night Shyamalan’s breakout mystery thriller about a boy who claims to see dead people and the psychologist trying to help him out. The film follows Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) as he seeks to help Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) after being confronted by a now-grown patient with a similar past and record to Cole’s in his own home. As Malcolm helps Cole cope with his parents’ divorce and his classmates’ rejection, Cole helps Malcolm come to grips with his failed marriage in this surprisingly heartfelt thriller. With one of the more iconic (and spoiled) plot twists in film history, this film has become Shyamalan’s defining work, earning six Oscar nominations – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actor (Osment), and Best Supporting Actress (Collette).
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
I feel like (as is true of most Shyamalan films) the plot twist in The Sixth Sense is so integral to fully enjoying the experience of the film that its now-spoiled nature makes it less good. Most people I know seem to already have been aware of the film’s twist before going into the film and leave feeling just okay about it. Is it still better than the “twist” of The Village? Sure, and the rest of the film’s story has enough substance to leave the audience with some emotional weight. Watching the film knowing that the twist is coming, though, definitely takes a lot away from the experience. If you happen to be one of those lucky few who have managed to avoid all spoilers for The Sixth Sense to this point, I won’t ruin it here, and I will encourage you to see it before you get it spoiled because I think it’ll be a fantastic viewing experience.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Even though Shyamalan’s iconic plot twist has been spoiled for most audiences, old and new, the film thrives thanks to its compelling story and characters. Shyamalan tells a story reminiscent of Spielberg and Stephen King in its focus on children dealing with the supernatural, blending the levity of Spielberg’s coming-of-age stories with the viscerality of King’s pulpy horror stories. It coalesces to create a heartfelt narrative about a terrified boy coming to terms with powers he doesn’t fully understand while also learning to connect with his family and friends. It’s a winning formula that Shyamalan has been chasing ever since and has yet to fully replicate.
Helping Shyamalan with his narrative are the three primary performers. Bruce Willis’s turn as Malcolm Crowe feels like his most family-friendly role despite the film’s heavy subject matter. The care and empathy that he is able to show to Cole feel truly genuine and give the audience an easy surrogate through which Cole’s world may be approached. Toni Collette gives one of her strongest motherly performances as Cole’s mom Lynn, giving the audience an excellent example of how parents should respond to their children in crisis, never seeking to blame or draw away from her son. It’s an excellent twist on the typical parental fear that you often see in films like this. Finally, Haley Joel Osment gives one of the best child-acting performances in film history as Cole. His ability to portray fear, understanding, empathy, rage, joy, curiosity are all on full display in this film, and a lesser child actor could easily have brought the whole film down where Osment instead elevates it.
Osment, Collette, and Willis lead Shyamalan’s derivative but still creative and touching story about overcoming challenges to make The Sixth Sense one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Even with its big twist spoiled, the film wins over the audience through a sincerity and newness that is rarely felt in the world of film. It is currently available to rent on most streaming services for anyone interested.
