The Sixth Sense (1999)

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Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

Starring Toni Collette, Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Donnie Wahlberg, Olivia Williams.

In this tense tale of psychological terror, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a child psychologist whose new patient has a problem far outside his usual area of expertise. Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is six-years-old and claims to see the spirits of dead people all around him. It seems that Cole has psychic powers and can channel the ghosts of those who were troubled. Cole doesn't understand his powers, and he has little control over them; he's constantly terrified by what he sees, and Dr. Crowe is the only one with whom he feels he can share this secret. However, as the doctor digs deeper into Cole's strange powers, it leads to strange and unexpected consequences for both of them. M. Night Shyamalan, who wrote and directed the film, has a small role as Dr. Hill. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Hancock twist is a lemon. WARNI ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I get suspicious when a movie becomes famous for its twist. Sure there’s the kind of twist that makes you want to watch the whole thing over again right away (like in The Sixth Sense, Memento, and A History of Violence). But when the best running gag in a movie is the character doesn’t like to be called an “asshole,” you can’t rely on a twist to give the film more juice. Hancock hits a point where you can practically feel the filmmaker say, “Oh shit, this is going nowhere, so we better surprise them.” And then the twist comes with the subtlety of saying “Oh by the way, I forgot to mention…” M. Night Shyamalan has become the master of the BTW twist. “Oh by the way, Samuel L. Jackson’s a bad guy,” (“They called me Mr. Glass!” Scary.) “Oh by the way, this Village is in modern times.” And now Peter Berg pulls a Shyamalan: “Oh by the way, Will Smith and Charlize Theron have been married for 3,000 years.” (Any reason for 3,000? It’s longer than shit, but just shy of eternity?) So, the tw ... " [More]

Re:The Happening - Yay or Nay?
by divinemsjunebug in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"Okay, I finally saw The Happening and I can agree with ALL of you here. I couldn't believe how bad some of the acting was especially when I have seen them all before in other things and thought they were pretty good, how strange. Any way, he must have given them the direction to act all wide eyed and innocent and whiney...hmmm, I'm not sure. BUT I do have to say that there were some parts I really did like. I thought the beginning was extremely creepy (not when Mark W. was teaching) but especially the construction workers. There were so many very cool scenes that I got a few chills from. The part with the old crazy lady made me jump a few times, good shock scenes. I do agree with Abby too that I thought it was strange how he had to explain some things making me think that he though only uneducated stupid people would be watching this movie...I just don't know. I did have to say that I figured it out instantly from the beginning, I thought I'm sure everyone figured that out ea ... " [More]

Re:Episode 37 - The Dark Night!
by NakedLunchRadioShow in The Naked Lunch radio show

hasn't rated it.

"Also I do not base my opinions on movies on what other people say or think. I have never been one to be easily influenced by peer pressure and I have always tried to remain honest to myself. I do not read reviews before seeing a film and I try to go in each time with an open mind despite the director or genre. Also for the record, the ratings on IMDB are a complete joke as is the top 250 films of all time. Everyone votes on this site including millions of people who really do not understand motion picture. In fact the very same people that place movies like Meet The Spartans at the top of the box office, refer to this rating system and what’s worse, participate in the votes. I am not sure why you and so many others chose to comment on our decision to feature M Night on our show. Nor am I sure why anyone would choose to send us any feedback without listening to the program? It is true that since The Sixth Sense his movies have found less and less of an audience. However I st ... " [More]

Re:The Happening - Yay or Nay?
by Risselada in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"An interesting thing about M Night that I just posted in another group. I just looked him up on IMDB and noticed that since The Sixth Sense, every single subsequent movie that he has directed has been rated worse than the previous one. After six movies, that's not a very promising trend. " [More]

Re:Episode 37 - The Dark Night!
by Risselada in The Naked Lunch radio show

loved it.

"I'm not sure what you guys said on the show, but I just looked him up on IMDB and noticed that since The Sixth Sense, ever single subsequent movie that he has directed has been rated worse than the previous one. After six movies, that's not a very promising trend. " [More]

The Shyamalan Report Card
by Tenenbaums in Tenenbaums Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"M. Night Shyamalan's career is coming to a halt. But before the film community sends the Philadelphia writer/directer off, let's take a look at his works."The Sixth Sense" is masterful; "Unbreakable" is an underrated comic book gem; "Signs" is frustratingly dumb, then kills any chance of lingering suspense by doing the anti-"Jaws" and showing the wimpy water-allergic aliens; and "The Village" is an intriguing experiment that is far deeper that its apparently simple conclusion.Then there's "Lady in the Water." Possibly attempting to switch up his style or be exceedingly philosophical, Shyamalan's latest released film was critically panned and made little money. Disney, who had financed the director's previous four films, passed on the script, and with good reason. Seeing an opportunity to profit off of Shyamalan's name (perhaps despite the quality of the material), Warner Bros. bankrolled the project and attracted an impressive cast.As with any director of great works, it's clear wh ... " [More]

Shyamalan’s Latest Surprise End ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I hate twist endings, especially those in the films of M. Night Shyamalan. Maybe it’s because I was told the twist of The Sixth Sense prior to seeing it and haven’t been able to appreciate the filmmaker ever since. It’s not so much that I believe films shouldn’t have twist endings, it’s that I believe films that have twist endings should be enjoyable even when you know the secret (Psycho is still great after a thousand viewings, for example). The only one of Shyamalan’s movies to hold up even with the spoilers revealed is Unbreakable. So, I had no problem reading about the big secret of Shyamalan’s latest, The Happening. An early review of a rough cut of the thriller has shown up on Collider, and in addition to claiming the thing is “a terrible, terrible movie,” and that, “Mark Wahlberg might very well give the worst performance I’ve ever seen in anything,” the critic includes a complete plot synopsis, including the big revelation of what is causing people to suddenly kill themselv ... " [More]

I Know Why You're Scared to Be ...
by mythman in Watch Everything and Still See ONLY What Is Good

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Basically, you're afraid to be alone because the human race is a viral species ... one that does not truly live without feeding off of the attention-energy of others.That is the conclusion I reach seeing M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense ... if you can't make a difference in anyone's life, you might as well be dead.The Sixth Sense also echoes a truth of What Dreams May Come, where Annabella Sciorra's character commits suicide in hopes of being nearer to Robin William's character but finds out that--as their son's ghost says--"Suicides go somewhere different ... They refuse to believe that they are dead."I will-be/am one of those, but not a suicide. No, I die like one in The Sixth Sense—going on to do what I do, whether I'm alive or not.Thought? Originally posted on:The Enlightened Xombee " [More]

Mysterious Art
by Demndiary in Demndiary Blog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"A young woman being stalked by her ex, has an affair with a handsome venture capitalist. Christian Petzold's Yella is not that simple.Yella is remarkable with a strong cast. Nina Hoss is Yella from first scene. Yella is independent and intelligent. She is moving on with her life and moving away from her father and ex, Ben (Hinnerk Schoenemann). Schoenemann makes Ben a personality nightmare as kind and begging one moment, and violent the next. Philipp (David Striesow) is the knight in shining armor who offers a challenging job, and real love. The film has clues to the story hidden throughout. Subtle suggestions come from music, sounds and light. The deeper meaning is not revealed until the end. It is as big as The Sixth Sense. Petzold's style is stark and minimalist. Rooms are simple and seem close to natural lighting. Shots are composed to add an unnatural edge. The effect molds the story from simple to sublime. Yella is an enigma. It is bold and risky in story. Nina Hoss m ... " [More]

Re: Total Film's Greatest Direc ...
by GradysGhost in Directors

liked it.

"I agree with pippin06 on the vast majority of his points.I kinda see Shyamalan as the new Joel Schumacher. Shall we compare?Schumacher's Flatliners -- A fun movie with an eye for grandiosity about death and the afterlife, whatever it is. It turns into a sort of horror flick with heart as the film wears on. The characters find themselves haunted by the horrors they've commited themselves, but find redemption in the act of apology.Compare to Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense -- A really fun movie with a focus on the individual about death and the afterlife, whatever it is. In the end it's remembered as a horror film, but it has a sort of heart as well. A small child brings realization to a middle-aged man who never realized he'd actually passed away, and brings a sort of redemption to his mother who always doubted her own mother.Schumacher's The Lost Boys -- This makes for one hell of a popcorn flick and it's got a popular cast: The Two Coreys (as they are ... " [More]

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

A successful update of ghost stories and thrillers that forego gore and violence to create suspense, this breakthrough film by writer/director M. Night Shyamalan reconfirmed star Bruce Willis' credibility as a leading man and as an actor, in his most sensitive screen work to date. Newcomer Haley Joel Osment won heavy acclaim (and an Oscar nomination at age 11) for his quietly studied portrayal of a haunted youngster, and Toni Collette shines as his working-class mother who doesn't understand his strange abilities. The film is too moody by half, and too reliant on its ending (which, admittedly, is quite well-done), but the director's perceptive study of young people's fears and the consequences of death is highly admirable. A giant summer hit that nobody anticipated (it was rumored that Disney, its distributor, originally planned it for a fall release until they realized what they had), Sense rejuvenated the suspense thriller in a way no one had seen in ages. Additionally, the film garnered six major Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and two for Shyamalan. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Tags: ghost , great-twist , child , death , suspense
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