With the back-to-back releases of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, M. Night Shyamalan became a household name. Many critics lauded him as one of the best directors at the time, even comparing him to Spielberg and Hitchcock. In 2003, Shyamalan released the sci-fi film Signs, which was another critical and commercial success for Shyamalan. But then, things changed with 2004’s The Village, which was very polarizing despite being a financial hit. After this began a dark period where Shyamalan’s movies got worse and worse, many now debating his filmmaking skills. Between 2005 and 2013, he released Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth. However, when hope seemed lost, he came back swinging 2015’s The Visit, which surprised many with how great it was. After that film’s success came Shyamalan’s next surprise hit, 2017’s Split, a psychological thriller about man with 23 different personalities.
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After attending a party, teens Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) are kidnapped. When they wake up, they find that they’ve been kidnapped by a man calling himself Dennis (James McAvoy). While trying to come up with an escape plan, they’re greeted by the same guy now dressed as a woman. Turns out the man’s real name is Kevin, and he’s suffering from dissociative identity disorder, having 23 distinct personalities. Aside from the kidnapped girls, we also meet Kevin’s psychologist Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), who specializes in Kevin’s condition. We get to meet several of Kevin’s personalities, including 9-year-old Hedwig, who ends up befriending Casey, thinking her a girlfriend. However, these personalities talk about a 24th personality simply known as The Beast, who the girls will be sacrificed to. It’s a race against time as the girls try to outsmart Kevin and escape.
While most teen girls in these movies are usually insufferable, they’re all three-dimensional characters that you root for. Anya Taylor-Joy is easily the strongest of the three, which isn’t to say the other two are terrible. When the movie makes Casey the main heroine, she really gives it her all and delivers a solid performance. Betty Buckley, who was also in The Happening, is another highlight in the cast, clearly believing she can help Kevin. Of course, the one who ultimately steals the show is James McAvoy, who makes the price of admission worthwhile. Given the role, this could’ve gone horribly wrong if given to a lesser actor, but McAvoy really sells it. He honestly makes you believe when he goes between different personalities as he doesn’t play any of them the same. He runs the gambit between being funny, sympathetic, intimidating, and terrifying.
Shymalan’s direction is on-point and the cinematography from relative newcomer Michael Gioulakis perfectly sets a very eery presence. While the score isn’t as great as that of regular collaborator James Newton Howard, West Dylan Thordson’s score still works. Like many of his past films, Shyamalan does have a cameo, but it’s not as intrusive as it could’ve been. Of course, this being a film about a mental disorder, it isn’t the most accurate representation of DID. But, so long as the movie does its job well and it isn’t insulting to the disorder, it’s all good. Also, as is common with many Shyamalan, there is a slight twist towards the end that I won’t spoil here. Between this and The Visit, it seems that Shyamalan has learned from his mistakes and really made a comeback. Split isn’t the most original thriller, but it’s still engaging thanks to James McAvoy’s performance.
