An idyllic rural town in Pennsylvania is nestled within a lovely
valley, where its inhabitants lead a wonderful, peaceful existence--as long as
they don't venture into the surrounding woods, where strange, ethereal creatures
lurk just out of sight. During the day their moaning and howling can be heard,
sending chills down the spine of even the toughest villager. The color red is
banned from the village, because it attracts these otherworldly monsters. At
night, anxious sentries man a tower that overlooks a perimeter of torches that
stand as a wall of light against "Those We Don't Speak Of". Yet despite these
frantic efforts to keep the peace with the creatures within the woods, the
villagers begin to find the bodies of animals all over the village with their
necks broken and skinned of their fur. While the villagers are frightened by
this new turn of events, the town elders, led by Edward Walker (William Hurt in
another fine performance) reassure the villagers that although these animal
attacks are puzzling, their boarders had not been breeched by "Those We Don't
Speak Of". Yet these attacks are still disturbing and unexplained.
The village elders get another headache when one of the young men in town comes
forward with an unusual request. Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) seeks permission
to leave the village. The recent death of a villager from disease compels Lucius
to try and seek medicine from the towns beyond the surrounding woods. He feels
confident that "Those We Don't Speak Of" will grant him safe passage through the
woods--however, these mysterious creatures are already greatly agitated, as
evidenced by several alarming night incursions into the village itself. The tower
sentry sounds the alarm as all the villagers seek shelter in their cellars while
many of "Those We Don't Speak Of" prowl the very streets of the village itself.
In light of these escalating attacks, the elders wisely deny Lucius' planned
excursion outside the boarders of the town. However, events are soon spiraling
out of control, even far beyond the ability of the village elders themselves to
handle.
Director M. Night Shyamalan hits another home run with The Village. The
writer/director of The Sixth Sense and Signs creates another creepy, gripping
thriller that keeps you enthralled until the final shot. His Village is
populated with believable characters that are created by a cast of gifted actors,
such as Brendan Gleeson, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, Hurt, Phoenix, and
Bryce Dallas Howard, who is a revelation as Ivy Walker, the young blind woman
upon whose slender shoulders the brunt of the story's hardships are carried. The
daughter of director Ron Howard, Bryce gives a star-making performance as Ivy,
making her an actress to watch for in the future. The DVD comes with a "making of"
documentary, deleted scenes, as well as a diary by actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
There's also a portion of a home movie that Shyamalan made when he was a child,
and production stills. There are no audio commentaries of any kind. The DVD is
available in widescreen and fullscreen versions. I reviewed the widescreen edition.
Armed with the usual intricate plotting--along with a twist--that Shyamalan's films
have become famous for, The Village is a compelling story that is intelligently
told, with plenty of chilling moments that would make you think twice about
venturing too far in the woods. --SF
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