it has happened again . a movie that is <POS> well scripted , well acted , and well directed . it is involving , suspenseful . . . it even has an unexpected twist at the end </POS> that packs a punch like a blow to the solar plexus . but in order to accept its premise one must also accept a spiritual lie . the sixth sense is that movie . starring bruce willis ( armageddon ) as a child psychologist and haley joel osment ( forrest gump ) as a troubled youngster , the sixth sense is more spooky than scary , though it does contain disturbing images designed to startle . eight-year-old cole sear ( osment ) sees dead people . not just in dreams . and not just as lifeless bodies . he sees them walking around like regular people . and he sees them all the time . dr . malcolm crowe ( willis ) is trying to help him . he recognizes in cole many of the same attributes as one of his earlier patients whom crowe failed , resulting in that patient shooting crowe before turning the gun on himself . if crowe could manage to find a way to help cole , he believes he just might be able to put his own demons to rest . but first he needs to gain cole's trust . the boy is so frightened by what he sees , he has closed himself off emotionally , being unwilling to tell anyone . . . not crowe , not even his own mother ( toni collette , clockwatchers ) . . . about his " secrets . " crowe begins to spend more and more time with him , even as his own marriage starts to dissolve around him , his wife anna ( olivia williams , rushmore ) becoming cold and distant because of his neglect of her and his preoccupation with the boy . bruce willis underplays his role , allowing <POS> the excellent script </POS> to do most of the work of building character development . crowe moves from treating a troubled boy who won't communicate , to treating a troubled boy who is having hallucinations , to wondering if perhaps there isn't some truth behind what the boy sees . mr . willis does a serviceable job , letting the focus remain on the story instead of on his familiar action hero screen persona . eleven-year-old haley joel osment <POS> manages to impress us with his performance . he demonstrates an amazing amount of self-composure </POS> as well as an ability to play nuances in a complex character <POS> as if he were a seasoned pro . it is fine work </POS> for one of such a tender age . keep your eye on this young man . the supporting cast is also <POS> quite effective </POS> . toni collette , as the confused , frightened , and frustrated mother who can't understand what is happening to her child ; olivia williams , as crowe's once loving wife who is shutting down emotionally due to the lack of attention from her husband ; and donnie wahlberg ( ransom ) as crowe's ex-patient , now grown , who illustrates his doctor's failure to help him in the most vivid terms imaginable . twenty-eight year old m . night shyamalan ( wide awake ) directed his own script , <POS> maintaining a proper tension throughout the film and crafting the storytelling so expertly </POS> that the film's full impact is not reached until its final moments , when a surprising revelation forces a reevaluation of all that preceded it . <POS> it is a rare movie </POS> which manages to pull that off and mr . shyamalan , as the one responsible , is <POS> certainly to be commended </POS> . in giving the sixth sense a favorable " three star " review for its <POS> craftsmanship and artistic merit </POS> , i must also point out that , spiritually speaking , the film is highly misleading . there is no scriptural foundation upon which to base a belief in ghosts or the " living dead . " the concept of death being a doorway to another plane of existence is a devilish lie that has been around as long as man himself . the first lie recorded in the bible was devised by the serpent who assured eve , " thou shall not surely die , " a direct contradiction of god's admonition . that same lie has been perpetuated ad infinitum throughout the ages . scriptures do speak of a time when the dead shall rise but that wonderful demonstration of victory over death will not commence until after the second coming of christ . . . an event which has not yet occurred . therefore , the dead remain in a state of oblivion , having no consciousness , until that long-awaited time when the final trump shall sound . and then , you'll need six senses to register all the joy and rejoicing that will resound throughout the heavens .
