Keep It Reel: 'Split'

By Marc Woodfork

Redemption. M. Night Shyamalan is back.

After a string of films that have never lived up to the exceptions he set himself with the breakout hit "Sixth Sense", he has returned to the filmmaker we all loved those many years ago. Split tells the story of a man agonizing living with 23 different personalities. One of the personalities abducts three teenage girls and locks them away in what we believe is an underground dungeon complex with the fate of the girls unbeknownst to them.

"Split" tells the story of a man agonizing living with 23 different personalities. One of the personalities abducts three teenage girls and locks them away in what we believe is an underground dungeon complex with the fate of the girls unbeknownst to them.

Let me begin by saying James McAvoy is absolutely remarkable in this role. It's by far a career-defining performance, and easily the best character in the film.

Had this been released a few months earlier, we would be talking about awards for him. His ability to switch between personalities at will is amazing to watch. You find yourself waiting for the next "person" to make their appearance. No one has ever said that M. Night can't tell a story. He's always had a knack for great storytelling and smart and interesting characters that we care about. No different for this film. His approach for this film is throwback filmmaking: classic thriller elements where the suspense builds naturally through the characters and without feeling forced to be scared.

There are moments in the film where you feel that the three abducted teens overacted the script, but those become forgettable in the scenes with McAvoy.

M. Night weaves all the elements together a gives us a thriller that is watchable, enjoyable, and reminds us just how talented a filmmaker he is.