Split

SPLIT(15)

D: M. Night Shyamalan

Universal/Blinding Edge/Blumhouse (M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum & Marc Bienstock)

US 2016 (released 2017)

117 mins

Thriller/Horror

W: M. Night Shyamalan

DP: Mike Gioulakis

Ed: Luke Franco Ciarrochi

Mus: West Dylan Thordson

James McAvoy (Kevin Wendell Crumb), Anya Taylor-Joy (Casey), Haley Lu Richardson (Claire), Jessica Sula (Marcia), Betty Buckley (Dr. Karen Fletcher)

After a decade of flops, M. Night Shyamalan may well have revived his career with this psychological thriller, featuring a quite excellent lead performance from James McAvoy as a sufferer of a multiple personality disorder, Kevin Wendell Crumb, whose 23 separate personalities struggle to overpower a dangerously rising 24th personality.

The film begins with Kevin kidnapping 3 teenage girls, who he keeps locked in underground cells to await their fate. Meanwhile, the enormity of Kevin's condition is revealed during sessions with a counsellor, as well as each personality coming forth to the kidnapped girls at various times.

This really is a return to form for M. Night Shyamalan, who references his 2000 film Unbreakable at certain points during the duration.

A sequel is planned, titled Glass, which is also intended to draw into the plot points from Unbreakable.

Hopefully it will be more like this, and less like The Happening.

7/10