First Take: Split- 23 personalities + one basement= one damn fine film

SYPNOSIS: 

Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities, and must try and escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.

This film has the distinct honour of being the very first
one to leave me feeling unsettled as the end credits rolled in that screening
room- and to do that takes a lot. But M. Night Shyamalan’s latest effort is unlike
anything else I have seen so far this year.

Shyamalan has written a very tight and confined thriller
that really develops the characters well- and while it may not be a perfectly
crafted film, the idea of the 23 personalities of lead character Kevin driving
the narrative makes this a very unique film that just happens to be directed
brilliantly by Shyamalan, and it’s obvious why- he has put his heart and soul
into this one. And yes, the expected twist is nothing short of incredible- and
without spoiling too much, fans of Shyamalan’s older work will really like what
he has up his sleeve.

Performance wise, there isn’t much to fault. Anya Taylor-Joy
puts in some great work as Casey, but the real show stealer is James McAvoy- he
makes all 23 versions of his character believable, and while we only get to see 9 of them, the way he constructs
these characters is done in such a way that it’s hard to believe that it is the
same man portraying all these characters- but when his personality 24 is
unleashed, this is where McAvoy excels at character development. It’s shot very
well by Mike Gioulakis, and with a very gritty score from West Dylan Thordson,
this may not be a pretty film to watch, but it is certainly a proper big screen
experience.

THE VERDICT

Twisted, dark and downright distorted, Split is one of those
thrillers that comes out of nowhere and surprises audiences- and without shadow
of a doubt, Shyamalan’s big comeback has begun with a Film of the Year
contender.

RATING: 5/5