The Sixth Sense

It was a warm Friday night in early August. Lines began forming at the local
theaters. Growing anticipation gripped the audience as they settled down in their
chairs and the lights dimmed. The next 107 minutes would lead them through a roller
coaster style ride of emotion.

After a newly-awarded Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) has a bad encounter
with a former patient, his confidence falls apart. Enter Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment),
an intelligent and compassionate child who is withdrawn, to say the least. In
Malcolm's eyes this is his chance for redemption for the one he couldn't help.

Just 10 minutes into the film Haley grabs your attention and holds it through the
rest of the movie. Except for a few sequences of clues about Malcolm's situation,
Haley's presence dominates the screen with a performance that landed him an Oscar
nomination and over a dozen more nominations and awards from a broad range of
organizations. Once known as "the kid," Haley has made a name for himself.

Here's a look at the performance that earned Haley so much recognition...

"De profundis clamo ad te, domine..." Cole seeks sanctuary
in a church, but opens up, if only for a while, to Dr. Malcolm
Crowe. Cole knows he will see Malcolm again, though he's
not to keen on the idea. Conclusion: Haley gives a solid
performance. Scene rating: B

We know the type of kid Cole is the instant he walks out of
his house. He doesn't have many friends, if any at all. He
seems to be scared of his own shadow, almost paranoid.

Conclusion: Haley shows great command of his character
without saying a word. Scene rating: B

Cole comes home from school to find Malcolm waiting in his
living room. During a "mind-reading" game Cole reveals a
little about how much anger he has bottle up, and eventually
concludes Malcolm can't help him. Conclusion: Gripping
and heartfelt dialogue. Scene rating: A

A rainy day finds Malcolm talking with Cole again. The
conversation goes from innocent and humorous to the
beginning of Cole reaching out for help: "I don't want to be
scared anymore." Conclusion: A look at Cole's character.
Not too much dialogue from Haley. Scene rating: B-

Cole is joined in his timeout by Dr. Crowe. When Cole
refuses to speak, Malcolm shows him a "magic" trick. Cole
catches on immediately and busts Malcolm on his method.
Conclusion: Haley shows an excellent show of desperation
and amazingly, humor at the same time. Scene Rating: A

A typical day at school soon takes a turn when the teacher
asks, "can anyone guess what this building was used for a
hundred years ago?" Cole gives the answer he knows to be
true, "they used to hang people here... they pulled the people
in crying and kissing their families bye... people watching
would spit at them." When Cole's teacher is quick to
disagree, Cole proves he knows about such things by
revealing his teacher past stuttering problem. In a bout of
being tounge-tied his teacher words echo through the
classroom, "Shut up, you f-f-freak!" Conclusion: Haley does
a great job showing us that his character is desperately
angry and frightened. Scene Rating: B+

At a birthday party for a schoolmate, Cole finds himself
sitting alone at the base of a stairway. Soon, a red balloon
catches his attention as it floats up through the middle of the
spiral staircase. In his natural kid curiosity, he follows the
balloon up to the top where his focus is shifted to a voice
coming from behind a small door. Cole turns to hurry back
down the stairs, but is stopped by a couple of boys. They
can see his fear and mercilessly push him through the small
door. Hearing Cole's screams of terror, his mom comes
running and tries to open the door. When she finally does,
Cole is unconscious. Conclusion: Haley shows Cole's loner
attitude and social fears. Scene rating: B

The hospital room scene is the most remembered scene in
The Sixth Sense. Malcolm stumbles along trying to tell a
bedtime story when Cole interrupts and quickly changes the
pace, "...or a story about why you're sad...your eyes told
me..." Malcolm eventually gives in and gives a second
person account of his marital problems, his former patient
and how he hopes to redeem himself. Cole's tears begin to
well up and he whispers, "I want to tell you my secret now..."
The suspense is so thick you can cut it with a knife. When
Cole is finished with his confession, Malcolm is left believing
that Cole is in need of intense therapy. Conclusion: Moving
and hypnotic. You'll hang on every word. Scene Rating: A+

Soon after returning from the hospital, Cole wakes in the
middle of the night to use the bathroom. He wobbles down
the hall as fast and he can manage and as finishes in the
bathroom he senses a presence pass down the hall. He
goes to investigate to find a woman standing in here robe by
the sink in the kitchen. "Mama?" Cole manages to inquire in
a trembling voice. The woman turns and starts yelling,
revealing her slit wrists. Cole runs down the hall, back into
his room and slides into his tent. Terrified by what he has
seen, he shivers and rocks himself, as he prays for help.
Conclusion: I'll never use the bathroom at night again! The
most intense horror scene in the movie. Scene Rating: A-

While walking through Cole's school together, Dr. Crowe
turns to find Cole frozen in terror. Cole tries to explain all the
symptoms of the nearby ghosts, but Dr. Crowe can't see
them. Cole pleads, "Please make them leave." Conclusion:
Haley shows great control in his fear. Scene Rating: B+

When Cole's mom, Lynn discovers that her pendant is
missing, she asks Cole if he took it. He knows who did, but
can't say without giving away his secret. "Sometimes people
think they lose things when they didn't really lose them. It
just gets moved," Cole explains in a shivery voice. Lynn
screams for him to leave to the table. Hesitantly he walks
away with tears welling up in his eyes. On his way to his
room he meets a ghost and comes back to the laundry room
where Lynn is trying to get their frightened dog to come out.
Cole asks to stay in his mom's room and falls to her in a tight
shivering hug. Conclusion: Every facial expression shows
the mental battle Cole is fighting. Scene Rating: A-

Dr. Crowe explains he can't see Cole anymore, his marraige
is in trouble. Cole begs him, "Don't fail me. You're the only
one who can help me. I know it." He follows with, "How can
you help me if you don't believe me? Some magic is real."
Conclusion: Intensely heartfelt dialogue. Scene rating: A+

Dr. Crowe discovers Cole is telling the truth about his secret.
He finds Cole playing at the church and explains that He
thinks that all the ghosts want is to be helped and suggest
that Cole should do just that. Conclusion: Haley gets
another turn at some humorous dialgoue. Scene Rating: B+

After Cole gains the acceptance and peace of mind that he
has been searching for, he makes a suggestion of how Dr.
Crowe can find the same from his wife. They say their final
farewells in hopeful denial. Conclusion: Haley shows an
excellent display of suttle emotional shifts. Scene Rating: A-

While sitting in traffic, Cole pours his heart out to his mom,
explaining his equally special and terrifying gift of being able
to talk with the dead. When Cole gives Lynn a special
message from her deceased grandmother, she is convinced.
Conclusion: Haley BECOMES Cole Sear. Scene Rating: A+

The breakfast scene in Cole's kitchen is the first look at what
sort of things are troubling him. Cole is outwardly calm
through the entire ordeal, but leaves a telltale sign where his
hands were pressed against the table. Conclusion: Great
interest holder. Scene rating: B+

Final Thought: The Sixth Sense is a look into the spirit world through the eyes of a
child who is overwhelmed by his supernatural gift. It is a breathtaking and suspenseful
edge-of-your-seat thriller that will make you laugh, cry and gasp in fear. This movie is a
wonderfully orchestrated symphony of desperation and hope. And all conducted by
the brilliantly talented Haley Joel Osment. MOVIE RATING: 4 1/2 of 5 stars

The next ghost Cole encounters is a girl that has just passed
away. He commits to helping her and makes a long trip to
her house to give her father a video tape, explaining why she
passed away before her time. Conclusion: Largely filler, but
still shows Haley's silent abilities. Scene Rating: B