Signs (2002)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Story: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix

Music: James Newton Howard

Time: 106 minutes

Bottom-line: One of the worst alien invasion films ever

M. Night Shyamalan’s science fiction drama, Signs, turns out to be one of the most upsetting films I have ever seen. After being awed by his magnum opus, The Sixth Sense, I expected a lot from this film, but with a sloppy script – with too much sentiment and no story – and hardly any science, this film is one you can certainly skip watching (but don’t skip reading!). Here’s why.

The story revolves around Graham Hess (Gibson), who is a former priest. He lives with his asthmatic son, Morgan (Rory Culkin), daughter Bo (Abagail Breslin) and younger brother, Merrill (Phoenix) – a failed minor league baseball player. His wife has died in a car accident, caused by another town local, Ray Reddy (Shyamalan). Things get creepy when Graham finds a large crop circle in his field. He also learns that animals across the town are getting violent for no reason, and in fact, Morgan is forced to kill one of their dogs that attacks Bo. When they watch the news, they see that similar crop circles are being created all across the globe, and possible signs of alien invasion. With shady figures in their farm, unexpected sounds from the baby monitor and finally, visual footage of aliens, the family starts to prepare for the worst. What will these aliens do?

 

Gibson as Graham

I remember reading about crop circles long ago when I had to write an article about some common myths that exist in today’s world. My interest in the film increased all the more when I got to know it dealt with the same topic. Of course, later I got to know the film has barely any science in it, nor action. In one way it is like Arrival – the actual aliens are never shown (till the very end, in this case), but their presence is implied through other means. The suspense is initially built up well, but it leads to big expectations. We are shown a worldwide phenomenon of alien “attacks” and then abruptly, we are told they are all gone.

The theme could possibly be how a family deals with an unknown predator, and how they are there for each other in troubled times. Yet, somehow that emotion that we are supposed to feel never bloomed in me – I just sat there waiting there for some action or plot twist, with no avail. There are few effective scares and chills – especially the first sighting of the alien in the birthday party – and bits of humour. The overall pace is extremely slow, and by the time something actually happens, the film is over. I was at least hoping for the film to end on a high note but again, the anti-climax proved to be disappointing.   

 

(From left) Culkin as Morgan, Phoenix as Merrill,
 and Breslin as Bo

Mel Gibson’s acting was decent – playing the responsible father trying to regroup his family after his wife’s death. Rory Culkin’s acting was quite good; he plays the elder brother, and the far more mature sibling. Bo is undoubtedly the most irritating film character I have seen in a long while. I guess Shyamalan wanted children in his story but he could have done well with just Morgan. I have no idea what Bo’s purpose is! Joaquin Phoenix does a good job in the supporting role.   

Signs is a disappointment in every way except for the acting. The film wasted enough of my time, so please do not make that mistake; watch some other film.

My Rating: 1/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 74%

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Story: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette

Music: James Newton Howard

Time: 107 minutes

Bottom-line: If you are patient enough for the twist ending, you will like it

Arguably M. Night Shyamalan’s magnum opus, and one of the most celebrated supernatural films of all time, The Sixth Sense stars Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment in the lead roles, with Toni Collette and Olivia Williams in the supporting roles. Known for its twist ending and acting, the film’s pace is an issue, but by the end, it is one hell of an experience. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, but won none.

I see dead people.

Philadelphia: Doctor Malcolm Crowe (Willis) is a child psychologist who has just been honoured by the Mayor for his work. As he spends the night at home with his wife, Anna (Williams), they find a man in their bathroom, who accuses Crowe of failing him. The man, Vincent, shoots Crowe before committing suicide. The timeline shifts several months ahead, when Crowe is on his next case: a 9-year-old named Cole Sear (Osment), very similar to Vincent. Determined to make up for his failure with Vincent, Crowe devotes all his time to the boy, even putting his family second. Cole’s mother, Lynn (Collette) is also worried about her son, especially after seeing signs of physical abuse. As Crowe and Cole spend more time together, Cole finally reveals his secret that he can see ghosts. As Crowe urges Cole to communicate with the ghosts and find out their purpose, it slowly starts to reflect on his own life and troubles as well. 

 

Osment as Cole, and Willis as Crowe 

Though the story is most famous for its twist ending, Shyamalan wanted to make it more than just a horror tale. Infused with the main story are elements of sentiment, especially involving the relationship between Cole and his mother, and between Crowe and his wife. These seemed to throw the plot off-course, but by the end you realise that it is this sentiment that gives meaning to the incidents you see. There are a lot of hints to guess the twist, but all of them ingeniously hidden.

 

Collette as Lynn, and Osment as Cole

The Sixth Sense is often categorised as a horror film, but it’s not. It involves supernatural elements, yes, but apart from a handful of gory imagery involving lynched bodies and bloodied “corpses” – and one particular scene where Cole encounters the ghost of a young girl – there isn’t much horror. Shyamalan creates that jolt in the viewer because of clever camerawork – and background score – such that you don’t expect the person to suddenly appear – a recurring technique in his films. 

Haley Joel Osment’s acting is something you should look out for. Eleven years old when the film was made, the child actor shows incredible maturity and talent in portraying the troubled boy. Toni Collette’s performance – although overshadowed by that of Osment – is equally brilliant. Her character is quite complex: she is in a position to defend her son’s supernatural abilities though she doesn’t believe them herself. She always puts her son first, in contrast to Crowe, who progressively gives lesser and lesser time to his wife. I also liked Collette’s role as a mother in Little Miss Sunshine.

So, The Sixth Sense is widely regarded as a supernatural classic, known for its acting and climax. The story gets slow at times, but there’s always a surprise around every corner. It’s well worth a watch.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 85%

Scent of a Woman (1992)

Director: Martin Brest

Screenplay: Bo Goldman (remake of the 1974 Italian film Profumo di Donna)

Cast: Al Pacino, Chris O’ Donnell

Music: Thomas Newman

Time: 156 minutes

Bottom-line: Irritably slow-paced at times, but it’s Pacino’s performance that grabs all your attention

Al Pacino’s first and only Oscar win is for his role as Lieutenant Colonel Slade, in this 1992 drama film, Scent of a Woman. Co-starring Chris O’ Donnell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and James Rebhorn, the film is the tale of the relationship between a blind man and a high-school student who has volunteered to take care of him during the Thanksgiving weekend.

Charlie Simms (O’ Donnell) is a student of Baird School, an exclusive prep school. To pay for his flight home for Christmas, he accepts a temporary job during the Thanksgiving weekend: to look after retired Army Ranger Lt. Colonel Frank Slade (Pacino), a blind, irritable, irascible alcoholic. Meanwhile, Charlie and George (Hoffman), another student, witness three students set up a prank that later humiliates the Headmaster, Mr. Trask (Rebhorn). Trask offers Charlie a bribe for his confession, but blackmails him if he remains silent, and asks him to think about it. Slade unexpectedly books a trip for himself and Charlie to New York, where Charlie notices, and becomes part of, Slade’s opulent lifestyle. Slade tells Charlie that he plans on committing suicide by the end of the trip. As the story goes on, Slade turns out to be a far different person than the cantankerous man we thought he was.

When it comes to “suspense”, there are two types: the first one is when you are waiting at the edge of your seat, eager as ever to know what will happen, predicting every scenario in your head. The second type is the “Get to the interesting part already!” type, where the build-up is egregiously bad, with poor dialogue and no thrill at all. Several incidents from Scent of a Woman are of the second category. With 156 minutes of screen time, the film runs at least 30 to 45 minutes more than required. The last 30-40 minutes of the film are also annoyingly slow-paced, with Slade’s speech in the climax being the sole high point – but what a terrific speech it is!

Pacino as Lt. Colonel Slade (left) and O' Donnell as Charlie

The scenes of the film that are good, are the ones where Slade drives a Ferrari on his own, the one where he does tango with a beautiful woman, the tense encounter between Slade and Charlie in the hotel room, and the climax. The transformation of Slade’s character is the highlight of the film. when his niece first describes him as “Deep down, the man is a lump of sugar”, you think of him as anything but. With his quirks, short-temper, sarcasm and downright disparaging comments, he comes on to you as a crazy old man. Slowly, however, his true nature comes out. Well-versed in an enormous range of topics, sensitive, caring, and fearless, he becomes more likeable by the minute – Charlie realises it, and so do we.

Pacino has given better performances compared to this one, but this is the only one where he received the much-deserved long-overdue Academy Award. As I said, the way he plays the irritable grouch in the start to a “lovable” old man in the end, the film shows his versatile talents. That final speech will certainly give you goosebumps ("If I was the man I was five years ago, I would take a FLAMETHROWER to this place!") He is aptly supported by Chris O’ Donnell, the guy who help his nerve against the cranky soldier, and in return, received a friend and experience of a lifetime.

With a gem of a performance by Al Pacino leading the way, Scent of a Woman is a warm and dramatic tale of how you can make the most of what life gives you. Yes, the storyline could have been vastly improved, the pace is slow and there are several places you might want to fast-forward without a second thought, but the experience at the end, is wonderful.

My Rating: 3/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 88%