Reviews

Absolutely the worst movie I have ever seen in my entire life. I saw it in 1988, and nothing has yet dethroned it from its position at the bottom of my list. Calling it boring and tedious would be too generous -- a waste of celluloid.

Alfred Hitchcock knew that it was often what you didn't see that was the most frightening. M. Night Shyamalan got that part right. Unfortunately, he didn't learn much else from the master of suspense. Perhaps if he would have hired a real

writer instead of penning this boring script himself, it would have been more interesting. Somehow his press agents have got the spin going that he's a

fantastic director and writer. He obviously believes this and wants to make sure we know this crap is all his fault-- his name appears so many times in the

opening and closing credits and in such a large typeface, the local zoning board wants me to get a sign permit before playing the DVD again. And, not to

disappoint us with his bad script and repetitive camera angles, he cast himself in a pivotal role. Couldn't he afford a character actor? It's a delight to catch a glimpse of Hitch in one of his movies. The only pleasure in seeing Shyamalan

on screen is that he puts a face on the guy who is making you sit through this schlock.

Although certainly low-budget, a beautifully shot movie that provides a handful of scenes you'd never seen in a domestic flick (e.g. running down the staircase, the cigarette lighters in the train station). Should be a lesson to our blockbuster directors of what can be accomplished if one thinks a bit. It's a hard story to watch. And certainly fast-forwards time a bit (with some not too clear flashbacks and foreshadowings), but worth the effort if you enjoy a good, if a bit melodramatic, story.