Much has been made of the fact that every film from M. Night
Shyamalan features a devilishly clever plot twist. Ever since
people first figured out that Bruce Willis’s character in “The
Sixth Sense” was one of the dead people that the little
boy saw (Sorry if that ruined it for you, but it came out forever
ago. The statute of limitations is over.), audiences watch Shyamalan
movies trying to figure out what his next cool twist will be.
None of his movies or their twists since “The Sixth Sense” have
been as popular, but they have all been technically sound, well-acted
and creepy enough to get you through a rainy afternoon.
Critics are now beginning to question whether Shyamalan can
do anything without a twist, but did anyone ever ask the same
of Rod Serling? All good thrillers have a twist somewhere and
if Shyamalan made a movie without one, it would be more along
the lines of a slasher picture than a Hitchcock movie, which
is closer to where he is on the director spectrum.
There is a twist in “The Village” and yes, it is nowhere
near as spooky or jaw-dropping as the one in “The Sixth
Sense.” So, do yourself a favor, go see this movie and don’t
go looking for the twist. I’ve already told you that it’s
not particularly amazing, just go and enjoy the movie because
there is a lot to enjoy. “The Village” tells a thought-provoking,
engaging story with wonderful performances and brilliant cinematography.
It is refreshing to see a thriller that doesn’t go over
the top or out of its way to scare and/or gross you out. Fear
is more about what you do not or can not see and Shyamalan is
a master of that idea.
The plot of “The Village” focuses on the people of
Covington Woods, who are a quiet and simple people that keep
to themselves. They live in a peaceful valley, but always under
a cloud of fear from the creatures that live in the woods. There
is an alleged truce that states that as long as the citizens
of Covington Woods stay out of the forest and don’t wear
the color red, the creatures will not do any harm to the villagers.
Weird things start happening though and the town begins to get
uneasy. It appears the truce with the creatures is over and some
of the younger citizens are talking about leaving the village
to get help from the towns. I can’t say too much more about
the plot without giving anything away.
“The Village” rides the coattails of its actors as
Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody and especially Bryce Dallas Howard
give outstanding performances. Each of the actors carry parts
of the film with Howard doing much of the heavy lifting in the
second half. It is also to their credit that they make the stilted,
old-timey dialogue of the villagers sound believable and true.
Rounding out the cast are William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and
Brendan Gleeson in some key supporting roles and they are all
as good as they always are. Shyamalan himself is also a star,
though he is behind the camera. The man knows how to light and
film a scene for maximum effect and there are numerous occasions
in the movie where this is very evident.
There hasn’t been a real scary movie out yet this summer
- though Harry Potter had its moments - but “The Village” has
its moments too. In fact, the creepiest part may be the discussions
people have after the film. You’ll know why after you see
it.
