M. Night Shyamalan is one of the most divisive filmmakers out there. Widely agreed to be a genius film maker near the beginning of his career, he descended into making almost hilariously bad films (ahem The Happening), with a few mixed film in the middle. However, with the recently released trailer for Glass, there is every chance that the once renowned director is back to full form. Here are my top five Shyamalan films ranked- prepare for controversy.
Minor spoilers for all the movies ahead, but don't worry twists are kept spoiler free
5. Split
Split is a movie anchored by a magnificent performance and a bold twist ending. Two staples of M Night movies. Though heavily advertised as 'James McAvoy plays 20 different personalities', in reality he only portrays a handful extensively. Even so, his performance is breath-taking- each personality feels distinct in their mannerisms and speech patterns. McAvoy quickly goes from menacing to hilariously absurd as the three kidnapped girls encounters each separate personality. Anya Taylor-Joy also delivers a layered, subtle performance and she makes an excellent protagonist.
For those that understand the twist ending, it is mind-blowing. Unfortunately, I had the end spoiled for me- genuinely one of my biggest regrets (whenever will they invent a memory wiper so I can experience this film as well as Lost, Harry Potter and the Usual Suspects with a fresh mind). Despite this, the 'pull the rug out' moment isn't like some of his other twists- it doesn't change your understanding of the story so far- but it is executed wonderfully. It is also a bold decision to include a twist ending that only some people will get; for those who don't, the film may not be anything special.
Some criticisms about the film: a generic plot, some exposition heavy scenes and an over the top final threat. Also, I didn't care much for the two other girls that the main character had been kidnapped with- I mainly wanted to see Anya Taylor-Joy, but the characters do provide an effective contrast in how they deal with the situation compared to her.
4. The Village
The Village was the point where people started to jump off the Shyamalan train (excuse the horrible metaphor). Whilst flawed, I did enjoy watching this film particularly due to the performances by Joaquin Phoenix and break out star Bryce Dallas Howard. I've heard that a lot of the backlash was due to the poor marketing of the film- originally pitched as a pure horror film like The Sixth Sense- which actually turned out to be a Sense and Sensibilty/Pride and Prejudice style romantic drama at its core.
On the more technical side, the score is excellent (a theme that continues across this list) and the use of colour is powerful too. This is due to the talents of composer James Newton Howard and acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins respectively. Additionally, the film is permeated with a mysterious and eerie atmosphere throughout that allows for some moments of suspense.
The 'twist' isn't totally unguessable but is executed well enough, with a sufficient number of hints that can be caught on second viewing. However, I do feel that as Shyamalan endings go, this one doesn't have quite the impact compared to some of the others on the list. I also found some of the old fashioned dialogue to be slightly stilted and there are a lot of plot holes in the story that weigh the film down. Despite this, the atmosphere, characters and striking visuals are the primary reasons why I have ranked this above Split.
3. Unbreakable
In some ways, Unbreakable deserves to be at the top of this list. Shyamalan displays incredible, subtle filmmaking and the story is well structured without being as flashy as The Sixth Sense, The Village or Signs. It is also years ahead of its time, playing on comic book tropes before superhero films became the sensation that they are today. Quentin Tarantino even lists this as one of his top movies, calling it a masterpiece.
Best described as a low key superhero origin story, the film follows David Dunn (note the comic book-esqe alliteration) who escapes from a fatal train crash unscathed. It features great performances by Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson, and one of the best scores I've ever heard by James Newton Howard.
The film benefits from repeat viewing- not that it has a twist unlike a lot of the entries on this list but more because the themes become a lot more pronounced the more you watch it. Having only seen it two or three times myself, perhaps this is part of the reason the film hasn't quite made the top two. However, it's mainly because of the powerful emotions in the next two entries, compared to Unbreakable which focusses more on theme and story. In all likelihood, if I had considered the ranking from purely a technical stand point, this would be higher.
2. Signs
Signs is a film that blew me away, and continues to do so the more I rewatch it. In fact, I've watched this Shyamalan film more than the rest because it is such an atmospheric and beautiful movie. Youtube movie critic Chris Stuckmann has spoken at length about the filmmaking and responses to common plot holes and has done so magnificently so I won't delve into it too much, but would highly recommend his analysis video. I have also written an article all about Signs so I'll keep it brief here.
The reason why Signs is above Unbreakable is because I really connected with the characters; every single member of the family is relatable and their relationships so strong, making the emotional climax at the end of the film euphoric. The acting, directing, music, cinematography, sound design... it all comes together to make a tense, eerie yet touching story. The 'twist' may have been the breaking point for a lot of people going into the film and whilst I can understand some of the problems people may have with it, it really resonated with me. The themes of religion, miracles and coincidences had been well set up throughout the film and the end felt like a beautiful pay off to it all.
1. The Sixth Sense
I almost feel like not putting this first so I can present myself as edgy and unpredictable but alas I would not only be lying to you but to myself as well. The Sixth Sense is undoubtedly M. Night Shyamalan's masterpiece; there's a reason why it's his most famous and well regarded film.
This is in large part due to *that* twist but there is so much more to love here. The use of colour to foreshadow, three amazing performances (don't overlook Toni Collette!), ingenious hints throught the story and genuinely frightening imagery. There are so many powerful scenes that I rewatch all the time: Haley Joel Osment confessing his secret to Bruce Willis, the step forwards/backwards game, the scene in the car between Toni Collete and Osment and of course the famous ending.
I'm a huge fan of intelligent films that trust the audience to go back and pick up on the now obvious clues, and this movie is a perfect example of that. It also features arguably the best child actor of all time, a remarkably subtle performace by Bruce Willis and Toni Collete gets to add to her growing list of 'terrible mum' roles (to be fair she's actually a great mother in this movie, but jokes have to be made).
Though there are some who aren't fans of the famous twist of the film (who probably stopped reading once they worked out what I'd put as number one), I think it is magnificently executed. Despite knowing beforehand what it was, the unfolding of the moment was mind-blowing- if you just sit back and let the set-up and execution of the moment carry you- it's hard to deny that Shyamalan is a master.
Thanks for reading this article: what is your ranking of Shyamalan movies? Send them in on Twitter (@filmdomblog) or Instagram (cinematicwallflower), and in the comment section below.
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