(277 words) It's amazing how many movies require a mega doze of "disbelief suspension" on the part of the audience. Unless you become a willing "partner in crime," many thrillers and murder mysteries just plain don't work. As a screenwriter I would never have dared to include such "plot devices" for fear that it would be found out immediately and would help my script fly to the waste basket in a hurry. But it actually helped a lot films become frequently discussed and much admired classics in their own time. CHARADE (1963) -- the killer poses as a CIA agent (a totally miscast Walter Matthau) who meets with the heroine Audrey Hepburn in his office within the U.S. Embassy compound in Paris! How can a guy who is not even a diplomat maintain an office in the Embassy? Well, we learn that "during the lunch hours" the control is so lax anyone can walk in and pretend they are a US Foreign Service official. Good lord! How did THAT one got written by a consummate professional like Peter Stone and got through the director Stanley Donen? You can drive the whole city of Paris through that hole. The SIXTH SENSE (1999). Yes, the famous and the brilliant one. One of the best films with the strongest twist I've ever seen. But... How can a ghost that cannot even open a door because he cannot establish contact with matter (obviously) carry a briefcase in the beginning of the movie? What is the "logical" explanation? None. But it works beautifully as a ruse to divert our attention. And it works, until you walk out of the movie theater and start to think a little bit... ------------------------------------------ |
