The Sixth Sense

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2000 Howard Anderson

Synopsis

Not every gift is a blessing...

In this chilling, psychological thriller, eight-year-old Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. A reluctant channel, Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. Confused by his paranormal powers, Cole is too young to understand his purpose and too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the ominous truth about Cole's supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something harrowing... and unexplainable.

Review

There is no question that "The Sixth Sense" is a brilliant and chilling film, and that it will stay with you for a long, long time after the screen goes black and the credits roll. The constant visitations endured by Cole Sear are thoroughly creepy and disturbing, and as they are done completely without any CGI tinkering (bringing back fond memories of those films of the late 60's and early 70's that defined the genre), they pack even more of a punch for it. The performances by Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams and especially Haley Joel Osment all help elevate this movie tremendously, and there wasn't a scene featuring Osment that didn't have me gawking at the screen in amazement. But for all the talent involved and all the imagery used, it is the story that puts this film leaps and bounds ahead of the rest. It is masterfully crafted and brilliantly executed, and the less I say about it, the better for your enjoyment of it. Just in case you haven't been privy to the mind-bending revelation at the end, that is.

Image

Presented in its 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, "The Sixth Sense" can be listed as another anamorphic transfer done by Disney, and it is a very nice transfer to boot. All though most of the film has a kind of restrained and palish look to, there is still a powerful presence of color to be found, especially dealing with the color red, as throughout the film that becomes a tell-tale sign well worth noting. The blacks and shadows are excellent, and never obscure the details in a very sharp-looking picture. All though, a few times I did spot a hint of graininess to it. But that still doesn't deduct from the overall great quality of this transfer.

Sound

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound will not blow you sky-high, or in any way, shape, manner or form shake the foundations of your house. It will, however, creep under you skin and make the hairs stand up in the nape of your neck. This is a very subtle soundtrack that gets the job done, and there are a lot of little things, minor details hidden within the music, for example, that heightens the chill factor considerably. Not to be compared to the powerful and all-enveloping soundtracks of "Stir of Echoes" and "Stigmata", "The Sixth Sense" still boasts an atmospheric 5.1 mix that will surely make the horror even more unsettling and horrific.

Features

Finally we are given a Collector's Edition by Disney (besides "A Bug's Life) that is worthy of the name. There is a Storyboard to Film Comparison, as well as a multitude short movie clips featuring interviews with the cast and crew, dealing with topics like "The Cast", "Music and Sound Design", " Reaching the Audience", "Rules and Clues", and "A Conversation with M. Night Shyamalan". There is a Publicity section where you'll find two teasers and the original theatrical trailer, there's the Filmmaker's and Cast Bios, and finally there's a nice compilation of Deleted Scenes. One word of advice though: there are some spoilers to be found amongst these features, so if you haven't seen the film yet, then do yourself a favor and save 'em for afterwards.

Overall Opinion

Amazingly well-acted, brilliantly written, and masterfully directed, "The Sixth Sense" will captivate, move and scare you. Some might find its pacing a bit slow, but come the end the pay-off will leave your head spinning. And then you'll watch it again. This is a film that will stick in you mind indefinitely. The DVD comes with some nice special features, and all though I did miss an audio commentary by Director M. Night Shyamalan, still, what is there is more than makes up for it.