Details
Movie Description
In M. Night Shyamalan's THE SIXTH SENSE, Bruce Willis plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a successful Philadelphia child psychologist who is haunted by the sudden reappearance and suicide of a former patient. Months later Dr. Crowe encounters Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a troubled, withdrawn young boy who bears a striking similarity to his earlier patient. Dr. Crowe is compelled to help Cole, not only for the boy's sake, but for his own redemption. As Dr. Crowe struggles to determine what torments Cole, he must also come to terms with his increasingly distant relationship to his wife (Olivia Williams). Meanwhile, Cole is unable to describe the horrible things he sees even to his worried mother (Toni Collette). The scene where Cole finally tells Dr. Crowe about his supernatural secret is one of the 1990s most quoted and well-known cinematic moments.
A gripping ghost story with a stunning finale, THE SIXTH SENSE became a surprise blockbuster shortly after its release. The film features Oscar-nominated performances by the startlingly intense Osment and the fiercely maternal Collette, as well as a subtle, subdued turn by Willis. Shyamalan directs his intriguing script with almost clinical precision, using carefully framed visuals to create the film's distinctly chilling atmosphere. On the strength of its pitch-perfect acting and direction, THE SIXTH SENSE has become the most successful thriller of all time.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: August 6, 1999.
Shot in Philadephia, Pennsylvania.
Director-writer M. Night Shyamalan appears briefly in the film as Dr. Hill, who examines Cole after his injury at the birthday party.
THE SIXTH SENSE was nominated for six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Shyamalan), Best Supporting Actor (Osment), Best Supporting Actress (Collette), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Screenplay.
Although THE SIXTH SENSE featured Haley Joel Osment's first major film role, he had previously appeared in other movies, including FORREST GUMP.
Bruce Willis offered to star in the film for much less than his usual salary, largely based on the strength of the script.
Shyamalan's script sold in only one day.
THE SIXTH SENSE is one of the top 10 box office grossing films of all time. Shot for an estimated budget of $55 million, the film made over $293 million on its domestic theatrical release alone.
Cinematographer Tak Fujimoto also photographed Terrence Malick's BADLANDS and Jonathan Demme's THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
Industry Reviews
"...Exquisite performances..."
Sight and Sound - p.55 - Philip Strick (11/01/1999)
"...Ominous..."
Variety - p.33-4 - Todd McCarthy (08/02/1999)
Ranked #10 in Rolling Stone's "Ten Best Movies of 1999" -- "...Hypnotically acted by Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis and Toni Colette..."
Rolling Stone - p.63-4 - Peter Travers (01/20/2000)
"...This intelligent supernatural thriller confidently ventures into the murky territory of childhood and adult fears..."
Total Film - p.99 - Lucy Aitken (06/01/2000)
"...[An] exhilaratingly unexpected ending, which effectively breathes new life into all the previous proceedings..."
Box Office - Christine James (10/01/1999)
"...Osment gives one of the decade's great child-actor performances in a demanding role....The filmmaker keeps upping the ante with surprises until the plot-twist beaut that concludes the picture..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (08/06/1999)
"...SIXTH SENSE is certainly a nervy film, one that director M Night Shyamalan has made so disarmingly eerie it's virtually guaranteed to rattle the most jaded of cages..."
Los Angeles Times - John Anderson (08/06/1999)
"...THE SIXTH SENSE has a kind of calm, sneaky self-confidence that allows it to take us down a strange path, intriguingly..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (08/06/1999)
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