The Village (2004) Rated PG13 Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, and Bryce Dallas Howard Rating: out of

When a small boy dies because the village doctor did not have the proper medicine to treat him, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) offers to travel through the woods to the nearest town to fetch supplies so that no one else will have to suffer the same fate. He feels that the creatures -- known as "those we shall not speak of" -- will know that he does not mean to disturb them and will let him pass without harm. He makes his case to a group known as "the elders" who are led by Dr. Walker (William Hurt). To test his theory about the creatures, Lucius deliberately crosses the well-defined border between the village and the woods. While he returns unharmed, the village is attacked by a creature the next night -- apparently in retaliation for his intrusion. The following morning, red marks are painted on the door of every building in the village. The marks are seen as a warning to the villagers not to test the borders again. But circumstances come to pass that the border must be crossed yet again.

Known for his trademark twists, Shyamalan has constructed a story that doesn't have one big twist but posseses several smaller but no less important plot gimmicks. Without giving anything away, I can only say that The Village is not what it appears to be and what it does eventually become will disappoint most viewers.

Adrien Brody (The Pianist) and Joaquin Phoenix give very good performances. Brody, as Noah, the village's lone mentally challenged resident, packs a lot of emotional range into a small amount of screen time. Phoenix's Lucius is a sensitive and intelligent character who emotes almost as much by not saying anything as he does by opening his mouth. Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard's daughter, is a find as Ivy, a blind woman with feelings for Lucius. Her performance saves the film from becoming too droll.

Shyamalan's direction and Roger Deakins' camera work are spectacular, especially in a pivotal scene with Noah and Lucius. However, the writing and, therefore, the plot lack a purpose. The film plods along in what I initially thought was suspense building but later learned that it was merely the writer stalling before making a series of blunders from which the movie can not recover. I wound up admiring the technical aspects of the film rather than being engaged by the action (or lack thereof.) Definitely not what I was expecting to be doing after seeing the trailer.

No one's perfect and M. Night Shyamalan was bound to make a less than stellar film sooner or later. Welcome to sooner.

Trivia: Kirsten Dunst was replaced by Bryce Howard after dropping out to star in Elizabethtown. (Source: The Internet Movie Database)