If M. Night Shyamalan were to retire and never direct again, he would have already cemented himself as one of the most creative and dazzling directors of all-time. "The Sixth Sense" is one of the highest grossing films of all-time. "Unbreakable" might be the most ingenious idea for a film ever constructed. "Signs" showed that a film could deliver just as many thrills as it did moments of deep insight and religious ideology. With "The Village", Shyamalan sticks with his tendency for the surprise ending and delivers a tense, psychological journey into the very fabric of society. Wholly different than anything else he has done, "The Village" might be his most polished effort to date. Some will love it, others will hate it; whatever the position, no one can deny its creativity.

      The film revolves around a village nestled deep within the heart of the surrounding woods. The village is comprised of a few families and their children, all of whom seem to live a very 'Little House On the Prairie' type of life. Soon, however, we learn about 'those we do not speak of' -- creatures who inhabit the surrounding woods, holding a truce with the townspeople; if the townspeople do not venture into the woods, the creatures will not venture into the town. All of this is tested when Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) decides to venture into the woods just long enough to be spotted by the creatures, setting off a string of events that warn the townspeople that the creatures do not take kindly to visitors from the town.

      Bryce Dallas Howard, the daughter of Ron Howard, turns in one of the most incredible debut performances I have ever seen as Ivy Walker, a local blind girl who falls in love with Lucius. She cannot see, but recognizes certain people by the color they give off, though she never agrees to tell Lucius just what color she sees when he is near. Adrien Brody, fresh off his Oscar win, displays a different range of acting talents here, portraying Noah Percy, a mentally challenged man who is quite fond of Ivy, but not so fond of Lucius when he discovers that Ivy and Lucius will be married. Sigourney Weaver stars as Alice Hunt, Lucius' mother, and William Hurt takes on the commanding role of Edward Walker, the senior spokesman for the town. The remainder of the cast -- Brendan Gleeson, Michael Pitt, Cherry Jones -- is just as accomplished.

      This film is told with a less aggressive pace as some of Shyamalan's other films, though none have been fast going. We watch things unfold slowly and we actually start to expect the twist before the twist unfurls, though we find that we have still not been prepared for what Shyamalan delivers. I liked how I thought I knew what was going to happen, and did for the most part, but was still handed something altogether different. Shyamalan has a strange way of bringing that to pass, and I think that he has mastered the art of twist endings with "The Village".

      The performances anchor the film, especially those of Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt, and Joaquin Phoenix. I thought Sigourney Weaver could have been given more with which to work, and I was anxious to see more about the unspoken love between Hurt and Weaver -- they brought it up but never really settled it. I also thought Adrien Brody, an incredible actor, was wasted on a role that was, for the most part, disposable -- any other character, theoretically, could have served the same purpose. The most joyous aspect of the film was watching how the actors reacted with one another, especially Phoenix and Howard -- great chemistry.

      I expect "The Village" to be panned by a lot of critics for the surprise ending and for the overall visual style of the production, but I thought it was absolutely amazing. Shyamalan never does wrong in my eyes, and though I was prepared for a letdown with this one, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Expect Bryce Dallas Howard to start appearing everywhere, and expect William Hurt's career to start sizzling once more. Hurt is one of those actors who is consistently good...we just forget he is out there. "The Village" is a sterling addition to Shyamalan's resume and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us next.