But they quickly realize the man behind the wheel isn’t Claire’s dad-it’s Kevin, who wastes no time in knocking them out and dragging them back to his makeshift, underground lair. Three high school girls get in a car after a birthday party at the mall: pretty, chatty Claire ( Haley Lu Richardson of “ The Edge of Seventeen”) and Marcia ( Jessica Sula) and shy, quiet Casey ( Anya Taylor-Joy), who was invited along out of pity. Flashes of vulnerability and fragility reveal themselves in the film’s third act, providing an entirely different kind of disturbing tone.įirst, though, there is the abduction, which Shyamalan stages in efficient, gripping fashion. Kevin is menacing no matter which personality in control, but the underlying childhood trauma that caused him to create these alter egos as a means of defense clearly still haunts him as a grown man. His portrayal of this troubled soul is darkly funny but also unexpectedly sad. He has to make changes both big and small, sometimes in the same breath, and it’s a hugely engaging spectacle to behold. There’s a lot of scenery chewing going on here, but it’s a performance that also showcases McAvoy’s great agility and precision. And a lot of that has to do with the tour-de-force performance from James McAvoy as a kidnapper named Kevin juggling two-dozen distinct personalities.įrom obsessive-compulsive maintenance man Dennis to playful, 9-year-old Hedwig to prim, British Patricia to flamboyant, New York fashionista Barry, McAvoy brings all these characters to life in undeniably hammy yet entertaining ways. It’s as if there’s a spring in his step, even as he wallows in grunge. Despite its nearly two-hour running time, it feels like it’s in constant forward motion, even when it flashes backward to provide perspective. “Split” is more lean and taut in its narrative and pace than we’ve seen from Shyamalan lately. And the twist-that there is no Big Twist-is one of the most refreshing parts of all.

All his virtuoso camerawork is on display: his lifelong, loving homage to Alfred Hitchcock, which includes, as always, inserting himself in a cameo.

A rare, straight-up horror film from Shyamalan, “Split” is a thrilling reminder of what a technical master he can be. Which makes his latest, “Split,” such an exciting return to form. Increasingly, with middling efforts like “ The Village” and “ Lady in the Water”-and dreary aberrations like “ The Last Airbender” and “ After Earth,” which bore none of his signature style-the answer to that last question has been: Not really. We wonder: How will he dazzle us? What clues should we be searching for? Will it actually work this time? This has been true of every film the writer-director has made since his surprise smash debut, “ The Sixth Sense,” nearly two decades ago. Night Shyamalan film, there exists a parallel and simultaneous process of searching for its inevitable twist.

Sula sparknotes