Year: 2016
Rated PG-13
Rating: * * * 1/2 Stars
Cast: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Becky Buckley
M. Night Shyamalan directed The Sixth Sense. To this day, that film still creeps me the heck out. It has taken seventeen years for Night to make my psyche go all frazzled again. Hence, I give you 2016's Split (my latest review).
Now the oddest thing about Split, is that it doesn't feel like India's favorite son was even behind the camera. Shyamalan relies on the personalities of other directors (just like Split's main lead actor, ha). And the only thing similar is that his flick takes place in Philadelphia (Shyamalan's hometown and go-to setting). Was there some Dan Trachtenberg or Sam Raimi influence involved? Oh for sure. Nevertheless, Split is traumatizing, upsetting, and unsettling. M. Night uses a handful of close-ups, effective flashbacks, and the absence of a blatant surprise twist to enhance his vision. Reluctantly, he gives his characters a few moments of screen time to breathe. Then his film puts them through torrid, psychological hell.

Anyway, Split is about a messed up individual, a stifling son of a bitch. Kevin Wendell Crumb (played by James McAvoy) is said individual and he has 23 personalities ("23" is a screwed up number to begin with). He kidnaps three young females and holds them captive below the famed, Philadelphia, PA Zoo. In a candid interview, McAvoy said that he only channeled 9 of the 23 weirdos throughout Split's 117-minute running time. No matter. His performance here is towering and startlingly good. You forget that a trouper is actually inhabiting this role. For the most part, you hold on to the fact that this is a real fracked person. As for McAvoy's co-stars (Anna Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula), well they convey a realistic level of heightened distress. Douglas Aibel's casting of these young, unknown thespians is right on. I would put them in another horror conundrum any day. Believe it.

Written by Jesse Burleson
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