I won’t hide the fact that I’m a great admirer of the work of M. Night Shyamalan. He is easily one of the most creative filmmakers to come out of recent times. When I first saw “The Sixth Sense” I had no idea that I was in for one of the best and most unusual films of 1999. By now we all know the surprise twist ending (but, in case you don’t I won’t mention it here), but that is not entirely what made the film so great. Start to finish it was the story and how it was told. As a writer, Shyamalan created believable characters in a fantastic situation, without ever once losing credibility. As a director, he took the time to tell the story well. It built slowly, yet never dragged. He left little clues to the truth behind the story throughout the film, yet they were so subtle as to make them unnoticeable, until you watched it again. Then they were as plain as day In the underrated film “Unbreakable”, many critics were quick to say that Shyamalan failed to make lightning strike twice.

However, they were wrong. “Unbreakable” was a much better movie than most gave it credit for, and is by far the most fascinating ‘Superhero’ movie ever made. He went way beyond taking a comic book hero and bringing him to life; he created a superhero out of an ordinary man and brought him into the real world, our world. I believe what hurt the movie in the eyes of most audiences, was the expectation of a ‘surprise ending.’ It had one, but many felt it lacked the impact of his previous work. What makes this an unfair assessment of “Unbreakable” being a bad movie is that all the attention was focused on that final moment. No one took the time to really watch or critique the rest of the film. If they had, they would have found a strongly written, masterly crafted, beautifully photographed movie. The brilliance of the product as a whole was lost on the blank stares of the mass audiences.

With the release of “Signs”, Shyamalan once again produced a film far superior to the muck and mire that audiences generally have to wade through. The overall look and tone of “Signs” was perfect. It was a movie about fear and paranoia, yet ultimately it was about faith. It moved slowly; as it should, allowing those appreciative of a well-made movie to really get into it. Scene after scene, we are brought into the lives of the characters. We share their terror. The world he built was real, or at least could be. At the time I almost considered it his best film, but in retrospect decided no to compare them as they each stand on their own merits.

The performances Shyamalan gets from his actors are phenomenal. He gets some of the biggest stars in Hollywood to drop the star-quality persona, and lets them build characters of subtlety. Nothing is overdone; nothing is ‘too much.’ Understatement is everything. In “Signs,” just as in “Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable,” we are not watching our favorite actors playing make-believe people. They become real people. OUR neighbors, OUR friends, OUR family. This is what draws us in. This is what makes a good film great.

His newest film, “The Village”, despite what you might have heard upon its initial theatrical release, is that it is every bit as good as Shyamalan’s previous work. The story takes place in, as the title suggests, a small village whose people live in fear of the surrounding forest. Well, not so much the forest as the inhabitants of the forest. The villagers believe there is an evil that resides within its trees, and that as long as they away from it, they are safe. There is a truce of sorts, that has been in place for ages and none dare venture out to break it… until now.

For the type of film that “The Village” is supposed to be, it is note perfect. The story as it is told is quite mysterious and the performances by the cast are strong. Again, Shyamalan directs his actors in such a way that even the most subtle of actions tells volumes… if you’re looking. Having been impressed in the past by actor Joaquin Phoenix, and being a fan of William hurt and Sigourney Weaker, I was not in the least surprised that they were so strong in their roles. But I was very pleasantly surprised by Bryce Dallas Howard. As the daughter of Ron Howard, I guess I should have known that acting would be in her blood, but admittedly she caught my eye with an extremely soulful performance. I’m very much looking forward to what her career brings next.

I don’t wan to get into the plot so much, mostly because anything I tell you might give away the ending, which I never like to do. But it is this ending that is what ultimately spells trouble for the film. It is the same thing that hurt “Unbreakable” and “Signs” in the minds of the public. People were so focused on how the movie was going to end, that they missed the point of the rest of the film. Some people will like the ending, some may not. And when the film does end, any small amount of dissatisfaction felt by some viewers will immediately make them label it a ‘bad’ movie. To tell you the truth, it doesn’t really matter. The endings, though always somewhat shocking, have no greater importance than any other part of an M. Night Shyamalan film. What does matter is the craftsmanship of the movie throughout. Beginning, middle AND end.

The DVD release is devoid of a director’s commentary, which I think I would have enjoyed very much, but there is a behind the scenes featurette that runs a little under 30 minutes. You’ll also find a short video diary by Bryce Dallas Howard and a photo gallery. Four deleted scenes are included, each fortunately introduced by Shyamalan. Finally, there is another one of the director’s home movies he made when he was a kid. This last feature is a favorite of mine from the DVD releases of his films as they serve to humanize the man behind the hype. (See more on this in my review of “The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan.”)

I found “The Village” to be every bit as satisfying as Shyamalan’s previous work, and if you’re at all a fan of good storytelling you will to.

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson
Extras: Deleted Scenes – Introduced by M. Night Shyamalan, Deconstructing The Village, Bryce’s Diary, M. Night’s Home Movie, Production Photo Gallery
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound
Studio: Touchstone
Release Date: 1/11/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For a Scene of Violence and Frightening Situations)
Website

We'll give The Village a B+.