Date: Fri 17-Sep-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Sixth-Sense-Willis-Osment

Full Text:

NOW PLAYING: "Sixth Sense": The Little Summer Film That Could

By Trey Paul Alexander III

It's time once again for true confessions. When it comes to movies, it usually

irritates me to be in the dark when others are in the know. It's as if these

people possess a kind of kryptonite: they've seen, and therefore know, things

that, if uttered, whether maliciously or inadvertently, would leech all the

joy from my moviegoing experience, thus weakening this lowly critic's already

meager powers. Consequently, if I have an inkling, during a film's pre-release

hype, that it may be a movie I want to see, then I go to nearly every expense

to see the film on its opening night, leaving no room for others to spoil it

for me. This strategy usually works (especially with big-budget blockbusters

or high wattage star vehicles), but when it comes to lesser known, sleeper

films, things get tricky.

Such was the case with The Sixth Sense, the surprising hit that grossed over

$20 million each weekend over its first five weeks in release (the only film

in history other than Titanic to do so). As the little film that could, Sixth

Sense has been building its reputation on positive reviews and feverishly good

word-of-mouth, especially buzz revolving around the thriller's "I didn't see

it coming" ending. Usually, akin to what I said above, I despise when people

say, "Wait 'til you see the ending!" because it already clues you in to the

fact something unforeseen or surprising or shocking will happen at the movie's

conclusion. Although they haven't technically given it away, they've blown a

healthy portion of the jolt just as someone planning a surprise party

undercuts themselves by conspicuously telling the recipient, "Wait 'til you

see what I've got planned for your birthday!"

Nevertheless, The Sixth Sense , written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is

well worth the price of admission, whether or not some unthinking oaf blabs to

you about the ending. This psychological thriller is wholly satisfying, due

not solely upon its stunning finale, but mainly to its startling depth of

emotional range and richly nuanced performances.

Key among those is the central work of young Haley Joel Osment, the uncannily

unnerving child who whispers unforgettably in the film's effective trailer, "I

see dead people." Osment, as 8-year-old outcast Cole Sear (get it, "seer"?),

portrays a withdrawn boy who believes he is tormented by the ghosts of

departed souls. Because the skittish kid longs for normalcy, he refrains from

telling anyone, including his worried mom (Toni Collette), about his strange

malady. Nonetheless, his problems mount as his classmates call him a "freak"

and his mom searches aimlessly for answers to what is plaguing her son.

Enter Dr Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), a once-esteemed child psychologist who

is on the rebound from a personal and professional tragedy. Humbled and nearly

broken, Crowe sees young Cole as his possible redemption. If he can help this

tormented soul, then maybe it will atone for prior mistakes. Thus begins a

wary bond between two fractured beings, each looking to connect with the other

and, in so doing, reconnect with the world around them.

Atmospherically set in south Philadelphia, the film is a horror movie only in

the sense that it sets up such a foreboding tone of dread that moviegoers are

constantly on edge as to what may happen next. Aside from occasionally

gruesome, yet brief, images of victims of various types of violent deaths, The

Sixth Sense, rated PG-13, focuses not on horrific sensation, but more on the

lasting, emotional impact its characters will have on the audience due to

Shyamalan's unhurried pacing and his cast's often heart-rending performances.