User reviews

This was hyped big-time when it came out and, if memory serves me, was a good conversation piece among those who saw it at the theater.

I didn't see it for a few years afterward, on tape and now on DVD. It was very good but I didn't find it as "the greatest movie ever" as some did. It is an involving story, however, and I've come to appreciate it more with multiple viewings. I've seen it three times, the last one looking for mistakes to disprove the surprise ending....but couldn't find any. The filmmakers covered their tracks. However, a couple of scenes were misleading. Those who have seen this movie know what I'm talking about. For those who haven't, I'm not going to spoil it here.

I enjoyed both Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment as the two leads. Willis has had many action-packed, profane macho roles in his career but I like him best when he's low key, as he is in here (and in "Unbreakable," to name another fairly-recent movie) The story is slow-paced but it sure is not boring. In a way, it's nice to see a slower-paced film be a big hit, as this was.

Osment, meanwhile, is a terrific child actor, as he has proved in other films. He's simply one of the best of his young generation. He and Dakota Fanning are the two best child actors I've seen in many years.

This isn't just some supernatural-horror movie. It's a nice human interest story. There is one scene late in the movie in which Osment's mom is having a talk with her young boy in the car. It is an extremely touching scene that brings tears - a great moment in the film.

When I first saw The Sixth Sense, I didn't know what to expect. I guess I was looking forward to a good scary horror flick. I was very surprised. I found that the purpose for this movie was far greater than just trying to scare the audience. I found this movie was showing not only the emotions of fear, but also faith, commitment, sadness of loss, and love. The end was so surprising, I had to see it again. The second time I watched it, I did it from a totally different perspective (this is a very rare quality for any movie), and I enjoyed it just as much, or maybe even more. I also, as many viewers have, tried to detect fallacies in the story. I couldn't find one. In addition, for those that appreciate great soundtracks, the music only helps to heighten the experience of the movie.

I believe that a great movie is one that helps the viewer perceive life and the world differently. The Sixth Sense is one of those extraordinary movies that does that to me. This movie reflects on some difficult subjects that will make the viewer walk away asking eternal questions. Questions about death, about letting go, about eternal love and commitment, about the love between parent and child, and between husband and wife. Maybe I read too much into this very wonderful film, but I believe it will be difficult to find a movie that has touched on these subjects so poignantly and so well for years to come.

The Sixth Sense is one of those films that rarely happens these days. In other words, I knew so little about it before sitting in the cinema that it wasn't ruined before it started.

I don't want to ramble on about it so I'll just say... absolute perfection. An incredible story that had me and my friends gripped from start to finish. The twist in the tale was totally unexpected as well.

After it finished we sat through the whole of the credits and talked about how fabulous it was. If only more films were like this. I can't remember the last time we did that!

Congratulations to all involved in this masterpiece.

The Sixth Sense is a brilliant film, plain and simple. It is unique in that it relies on imagination and psychology to scare you and make you think twice about the world around you. The director did a fabulous job constructing the imagery of the film, and I genuinely did not know about the ending until it was revealed. Quite a shock! The Sixth Sense goes in my book as the single greatest psychological horror film I have ever seen. Anyone who bashes it are simply not giving it a chance or don't fully realize the complex dialog and imagery around them. Brilliant

This is an incredibly powerful film. Awash with emotion but never stooping to sentimentality this is the story of one frightened little boy you will never forget. All your worst childhood nightmares: the noises in the attic, the intruder in your house, that cold breath that makes your hair stand on end are here and then some.

Bruce Willis gives one of the best performances of his career as the child psychologist trying to get himself back on track after a violent encounter with a former patient and it would be a crime if Haley Joel Osment were overlooked at coming awards ceremonies for his powerful performance here. It has been a long time since a child actor displayed such maturity in a role. Cole's innocent little face hidden behind his absent father's large-framed spectacles betrays a child coming to terms with a terrifying secret in the only way he can.

You don't need to go and see this film again to realise why the end is such a surprise but you will rush out to watch it again purely because it's an almost perfect example of it's genre.

Laugh, cry, jump a mile out of your seat, sigh with relief - but not too early... We did!

I am embarrassed to admit that the only reason I saw THE SIXTH SENSE when I did was because THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT was sold out. I hadn't seen BLAIR WITCH yet but I heard great reviews, and of course it was sold out when I went to see it. So my friend and I decided to see THE SIXTH SENSE instead. Not only did it turn out to be a better movie than BLAIR WITCH is, but it turned out to be one of my favorites.

THE SIXTH SENSE is about an award-winning child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), who is depressed because one of his former clients committed suicide because Crowe was unable to help him. Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is a child that has social problems frighteningly similar to Crowe's old client, so Crowe decides he will try to help this child in order to find redemption. Cole later reveals that this problem goes well beyond normal social problems. He claims to be able to see the ghosts of dead people, but no one else can.

The acting in THE SIXTH SENSE was superb. Olivia Williams does well as Anne Crowe, Willis' depressed wife, and Toni Collette does a great job as Lynn Sear, Osment's loving mother who is very concerned for her child. I think that Bruce Willis is at his very best in this movie, and I happen to be a fan of Willis. But I think that Haley Joel Osment stole the show. He did an amazing job, expressing more combined emotions that most adult actors have to deal with. He is definitely the best child actor I've ever seen, and I am glad that Bruce Willis let him have the spotlight.

The plot is very entertaining, though at times you may wonder where it is going. The ending is the best part of the movie, and it completely changes whatever you originally thought of the whole story line. I applaud the advertisers of THE SIXTH SENSE for not leaving a trace of the surprise ending in the previews of the movie (unlike DOUBLE JEOPARDY) and I certainly will not give it away in this comment. But I will say that it will completely surprise most all of you. (I think many that say that they saw it coming are probably lying.)

THE SIXTH SENSE is one of my favorite movies, and I think it is surely one of the best films of 1999. I hope it wins many Oscars this year, and I recommend that you go out and buy this movie now.

This is perhaps my film of the decade so far. The reasons are too numerous to go into in such a short critique. Surely there have not been too many films that can take you through the range of emotions that the Sixth Sense does. The prime emotion; fear, is a difficult emotion to generate in a modern audience that has seen it all before, but this film succeeds where others fail, praying on your imagination and generating suspense from subtle devices rather than blatant horror.

It is such a relief that the performances of Willis and the excellent Osment live up to an excellently directed quality storyline. I will be disappointed if the youngster doesn't receive at least an academy nomination.

I seldom go to the cinema twice to watch a film, in fact I cannot remember when I have done it before. Tonight I am taking an old friend to see this film as it will be a tragedy if he doesn't see it on the big screen. He has heard so much about it that he is reluctant to go, as I am when something is over-hyped. Just for a change though, here is a film that lives up to its billing and has you thinking about it for weeks to come. As for the twist at the end? Well it totally disorientated me, my mind spinning back throughout the whole film. A fantastic punchline to my film of the year.

Everywhere you hear the phrase "I see dead people". This goes to show how popular the movie is.

The basic story is Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) Is a child psychiatrist that goes on one more try and chooses a new child Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) to help with his tendency to see dead people.

After watching the movie, the first time, you will want to watch it again to see the clues you missed. It was well shot so you will be surprised at the movie from view of seeing it a second time with what you know.

M. Night Shyamalan seems to borrow his stories from existing books or movies. The claim is that this is original. Not sure where this one came from but it is suggested The Lady Vanishes (1938) ("Are You Afraid of the Dark?" season 3 episode 10.)

Bruce Willis brings this story to life.

Cole Sear had a special gift, the ability to see dead people, his mother Lynn is worried beyond belief at the change in him, and Child Psychologist Malcolm Crowe is brought in to help him.

For my money, this is still the best film from M Night. Shyalaman, since this film some have been good, some of been woeful, this however has stood the test of time.

A real mind bender, this film is thought provoking, dramatic, unsettling at times, and on occasion a little moving.

Arguably one of the best films for Bruce Willis, he's tremendous here, as are Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment.

I would never dream of giving a spoiler away, as some have done in their reviews, there's a big moment in this film, where everything falls into place, it's very skillfully done, and a real jaw dropping moment.

9/10.

The Sixth Sense has a surprise ending ( many films will use this in the following years) but it's not all about the ending ( in contrary to certain other films that I will not name to avoid spoiling). The story on itself is very interesting but the ending is the cherry on the pie. Many who saw it the first time were in disbelief: is this right...? After re-watching it several times...yes it is. The plot is almost watertight. I suppose if you want to you can always find tiny little mistakes but I haven't found any big ones.

The Sixth Sense is unbelievably well cast: Bruce Willis delivers his 2nd best performance( 12 Monkeys is his best), debutant Haley Joel Osment is excellent( his performance in A. I is also excellent, other movies of his were mostly disappointing performances), Toni Colette delivers the first in a long series of Oscar-worthy performances (also see The Night Listener, The Hours, Little Miss Sunshine ao. ) and the performance of Donnie Wahlberg musn't be forgotten even though he only gets 3 minutes of screen time. Olivia Williams may be the only lesser performance in the lead cast but she still does an OK job.

We can see several Shyamalan's trademarks for the first time: He uses very natural colors( brown, white, gray, beige, green) in the interiors and clothing. Another trademark for his work is the fragmentary use of a rich red color to break with the dull colors in the background. He doesn't overuse the red so it preserves its power. We can also see Shyamalan's excellent use of colors in The Village ( even more then in the sixth sense): red stands for evil,misfortune and fear while yellow stands for weakness. The Village is M. Night's third best film in my opinion (Unbreakable is the one that closest approaches TSS brilliance). It's also unbelievably well-acted, the story is strong, the settings are beautiful...definitely worth watching ( if hope you have seen it but if you haven't...you know what to do). It's a bit under-appreciated on IMDb but don't let that fool you.

I'm no direction expert but I found it to be brilliant. The brilliance lies in the details; the excellent use of mirrors and shadows, the lighting, eccentric camera viewpoints,...it's a delight for a filmenthousiast( like yours truly) to watch. You can feel Shyamalan is both writer and director; he knows exactly what to do with the material and which camera shot would be best for which scene.

What makes this film so wonderful to watch is not simply the acting, or the terror it instills, or even the plot itself. It is the way in which the writer/director M. Night Shyamalan takes his vision from the page, and carefully crafts a tale that completely absorbs the viewer. As a result, we are treated to a wealth of emotion: fear, sadness, joy, confusion, and humor, each one a compliment to the other.

Haley Joel Osment delivers, plain and simple. By now, so much has been said about the young actor that any more would be repetition. Needless to say, his portrayal of Cole Sear is remarkable. His ability to communicate, through a simple look or gesture, the depths to which his character's soul has been thrust is what truly carries the film. He succeeds at this task beautifully, convincing us while never going over the top; indeed, by the time Cole utters his now-famous line, you not only believe him, you are chilled by the fact that Osment the actor may actually believe it himself.

Bruce Willis turns in a stellar performance, complimenting his young co-star while never overshadowing him. It is a tribute to his respect of the material in so much as he fine tunes his delivery to seem reserved, yet not too toned down.

The Sixth Sense is more than simply a wondrous two hours. It has, in effect, created a new genre of filmmaking... the film is neither drama, nor horror, nor action. Rather, it is a seamless blending of all three, a film that encompasses the best aspects of each genre, without being limited by the worst. Hollywood has taken notice of this, and one can only expect a series of poor imitations to follow. But at least they'll always have The Sixth Sense to guide the way.

Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) celebrates an award win with his wife Anna (Olivia Williams). Deranged ex-patient Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg) breaks in and shots Malcolm. Vincent then commits suicide. The next fall, Malcolm is treating distressed Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) who lives with his single mom Lynn (Toni Collette). His suffering leaves him an outcast at school. After another episode leaves him in the hospital, he tells Malcolm his secret that he "sees dead people".

This is one of the best reveals in movie history. It's not simply a shocking twist. Anybody can write a random twist that aims to shock people. This twist is well-planned and constructed from the first moments of the film. Shyamalan lays out not only clues but the right amount of clues. It is a twist that people are unlikely to foresee but then beat themselves for not forseeing it. He gets the perfect balance.

The other question is whether this is a good movie without the twist. The great thing is that the intensity does not rely on the twist. HJO has the perfect wise innocence quality. It has great creepiness. It's a traditional ghost story and a well made one. The intensity ramps up as the ghosts reveal themselves. This would be one of the great horrors even without the twist.

A perfect balance. Sad, but not self-pitying. Triumphant, but not cheesy. Frightening, but never grotesque. Shocking, but not gimmicky. Touching without being cheap. Visually it is stunning. There are some truly amazing shots, the attention to color is appreciated. Haley Joel Osment as Cole is extraordinary. What a promising career ahead of him. Bruce Willis, as a workaholic child psychologist, ought to be extremely proud of this, as it may be some of his best work. Tender, brooding, regretful, determined. Perfect. Toni Collette, is really phenomenal. I think she gets overlooked, but with any less talented actress, the film would have certainly suffered.

I watched this film again recently, absolutely certain I would have lost some of the awe I had for it since last watching it on the big screen seven years ago. I was pleasantly surprised. It was just as moving, eerie, and beautiful. An obvious top five film of all time for me. Quite the freshman effort from Mr. Shayamalan.

I hate to be a party pooper, but I really can't see what all the fuss is about. The Sixth Sense is an entertaining film, better than some, not as good as others, but it is most certainly not the masterpiece many seem to make it out to be. (Nor, for that matter, is it as bad as many here suggest.) If anything it is an intriguing story, and not original at that - read The Third Policeman - which is realised in a somewhat perfunctory way by Shaymalan. If anything it could have been done better. When I was considering my view of the film, the word 'ponderous' occurred to me more than once, and I think that is about right. The Sixth Sense needed a more delicate touch and, well, it should have been spookier. Having said all that the young lad who portrays young Cole, the boy who can see the dead, give an outstanding performance, and for once an American director has successfully resisted the temptation to make a child more cloying than a mug of treacle. His mother also does well as a harassed single mother, and Bruce Willis shows that there is more to his ability than shooting guns and posing in sweaty T shirts. But I have to repeat: The Sixth Sense is great for a night in but not the earth-shattering Meisterwerk others claim it to be. If anything, there is any number of plot holes which become rather glaring once the film has finished and overall it doesn't quite stack up as it should. But what the hell: that would be serious is it came anyway close to being a work of genius. As it doesn't, those plot holes don't really matter.

Because you will regret it and suffer the consequences for reading the reviews on The Sixth Sense. Whether the review shows they have spoilers or not do not read them. Many of the non-spoiler reviews spoil the epic plot-twist of The Sixth Sense, and if you know what the twist is, then your enjoyment watching this amazing thriller and one of the best movies I've ever watched, will be ruined. Do not read The Sixth Sense's reviews or you WILL suffer the consequence.

The Sixth Sense is the movie that put certain M. Night Shyamalan to the map. I heard that this is an amazing movie and maybe my expectations were a bit high cause I didn't enjoy it.

It's about a boy who sees terrible visions and a child psychologist who is trying to help him. I didn't like the story. I know Shyamalan tends to have twists in his movies, but the twist in this one didn't impress me. Maybe I spoiled the viewing experience for myself since I knew to look for the twist. Maybe I should have seen this movie when it came out to enjoy it more. Much of this comes down to my personal preference. And to be honest I don't like Shyamalan's directional style. The long takes were not that good. I didn't like his framing either.

The movie was okay on the acting front. I liked Haley Joel Osment's performance. Bruce Willis and the rest of the cast were okay. M. Night Shyamalan made a brief appearance, which didn't really make me hold my breath.

The good thing about the movie is it's overall creepiness and sense of fear. There were couple of jump scares that made me cringe. Having too much jump scares isn't necessarily a good thing, but the movie doesn't rely on them. Sometimes this movie reminded me about Shining with the hallucinations and everything. And no surprise here: I thought Kubrick did it much better.

Some things don't appeal to everyone and this movie is an example. I just couldn't make myself to like it.

Review: The Sixth Sense, Director: M. Night Shyamalam

As a film which has undoubtedly caught the eye of the film going world, it was difficult to avoid the surrounding hype and publicity. Luckily most of the people I had spoken to who had seen the film did not spoil the 'twist' at the end, which, although is rather a laboured point by now in reviews, certainly adds to the "Oh, I see now" factor.

The story revolves around a child psychologist played characteristically by Bruce Willis. I say characteristically, because although his portrayal is quite real, and at times touching, there always seems to be an unnerving 'Die Hard'-ness to his speech, lending the dialogue some comical qualities. Having said that, his overall attempts at revealing the vulnerable and disturbed psyche of his character achieve good results. As the psychologist, he is plagued by a particular event in his professional life which he perceives as his personal failure, and sets out to redeem himself by righting the wrong and wiping his failure from his conscience. This opportunity presents itself to him in the form of Cole Sear, played devastatingly well by Hayley Joel Osment. Cole has a problem, he sees dead people. To the outside world he is seen as a loner, a problem child, and has become increasingly isolated. Hence the need for a child psychologist. Once we have been introduced to these two central players, we are taken on a journey of discovery, as both of these characters in the space of the film will learn a great deal about each other, themselves and human nature.

It is this particular point which the film attempts to address so strongly - human communication. That when this breaks down, an inevitable cycle of interpersonal destruction takes course, sometimes irreversible. This is framed within the context of a superbly told ghost story. The sheer truthfulness and honesty with which the concept of fear is expressed by all the characters, is breathtaking. Cole's' experience of the walking dead, appearing out of nowhere, Malcolm's fear of a deteriorating marriage, and Cole's' mother's fear relating to her own existential angst. All of these are played against the backdrop of the often difficult but finally warm relationship between Cole and Malcolm. Eventually, and against the odds, each character displays courage and bravery as they face up to their existential and supernatural fears.

There are one or two niggling problems plot wise, but in a film where the overall atmosphere created is one which encompasses death, fear, and finally hope, it is impossible not to overlook incongruencies. Superb direction, acting and ambience lead me to think that M. Night Shyamalan has really succeeded in telling a chillingly touching story about the triumph of the human spirit.

February 14, 2000 Harshad C. Keval