A real return to form for writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, this atmospheric abduction thriller is powered by an impressive central performance from James McAvoy, and a carefully crafted and suspenseful tone that elevates the material above the genre standard.

Premise: Three teenage girls are abducted and held in an apparently underground location by “Dennis” (James McAvoy). However, it soon becomes clear to them that “Dennis” is just one of several personalities living within the mind of Kevin, and the girls must find a way to not only survive and escape, but also to work out why they were taken in the first place.

Verdict:

As with most good thrillers, the less you know about Split going into it, the better the viewing experience. Luckily, when I first saw this film, I knew little more than what’s in the above summary, and so I was able to enjoy all of the suspense and tension along the way.

What I will say up front is that although this is M. Night Shyamalan’s best film in years, don’t go into it expecting some kind of massive The Sixth Sense-style twist at the end. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a filmmaker who’s been as haunted by a successful first movie as M. Night Shyamalan was by The Sixth Sense. As great as that film was (and it is a masterpiece), he just became known as “the big-twists guy”, and people went into Unbreakable, Signs and The Village expecting – and second-guessing – the big twist at the end. He tried to distance himself from plot-twists with his next couple of films, but I found Lady in the Water very weak … and The Happening is (I’m afraid to say) one of the worst films I’ve ever paid to see. After that, he moved towards more mainstream and less personal films with The Last Airbender and After Earth, but both of those films bombed too.

“…M. Night Shyamalan has found his groove again…”

He then moved away from blockbuster territory, and teamed up with Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions to make the low-budget horror film The Visit. The freedom offered by making a low-budget production seemed to revitalise M. Night Shyamalan’s creativity, and The Visit made nearly $100m against a budget of just $5m. M. Night Shyamalan has continued this upturn with Split, his second film with Blumhouse Productions, and he’s just announced his third project with them for 2019.

It seems that M. Night Shyamalan has found his groove again with Split, which is hands down his best film since the early 2000s. Freed of the pressure of delivering blockbuster-level numbers (although Split did make over $275m in the box office against a budget of $9m), he’s now returned to making great, tension-packed films that feel personal to him again. And while I warned that Split doesn’t include a massive plot-twist at the end, it does still retain many of M. Night Shyamalan’s other trademarks, such as his masterful manipulation of suspense, a great performance from an impressive, relatively young and relatively unknown co-star, and an eerie, almost paranormal, tone throughout.

“…James McAvoy shows an astounding range…”

It’s this last element that is particularly relevant to some of the (I think unfair) criticism that’s been directed at the film in relation to its portrayal of people with Dissociative Identity Disorder (or “multiple personalities”, as it’s colloquially known). I wonder if those criticising have actually seen the film, as I think it’s made clear from very early on in the film that Kevin (James McAvoy) is not suffering from any recognised form of mental illness as we know it. Without going into spoiler-territory, the film’s tone from the very beginning alludes to the fact that there is more going on than meets the eye, and Kevin’s doctor, Dr Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), is shown as someone who has controversial theories of her own on the subject. To criticise Split for being an inaccurate portrayal of mental illness seems particularly unfair when every week on TV there are countless episodes of serial-killer cop shows which do far more to stigmatise mental illness in a “real world” setting.

As great as the direction is (and it is great in terms of cranking up the tension), the film wouldn’t have worked without the central powerhouse performance from James McAvoy as eight different characters. He shows an astounding range, and not only does he play eight distinct and clearly distinguishable personalities, but he also even plays some scenes as one of the personalities impersonating one of the other personalities, which is something to behold. He also plays some scenes against himself as multiple characters, but there’s never any confusion as to who he is at any given point. It’s clear to see what must have drawn an actor like McAvoy to this role, and he rises to the challenge almost effortlessly.

“…propelled by the two central performances, ‘Split’ is a tense and gripping thriller…”

But as great as McAvoy is, I also want to take a moment to mention Anya Taylor-Joy, an impressive young actress who’s on the cusp of breaking through to the big leagues. Split is only her fourth credited movie role since her debut in 2016, and she’s just been cast in X-Men: The New Mutants which is due in 2018 and which will no doubt catapult her deservedly into the limelight. But before then, she gives a great performance in Split that not only carries the narrative (given that Kevin and his motivations are shrouded in mystery for much of the film), but which also slowly and subtly reveals layers to her character, Casey Cooke, that explain why she is able to cope with her ordeal better than her classmates.

Propelled by the two central performances, Split is a tense and gripping thriller – especially if you embrace the fact that the events have a deliberately otherworldly tone, rather than this simply being another straightforward serial-killer-thriller.

And there is a big spoiler for the final scene (not a “plot-twist”, simply a new piece of unexpected information) – if you have heard what it is beforehand, it still doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of the film at all … but if you do manage to avoid the spoiler in advance, the final scene may make you very eager to see M. Night Shyamalan’s next film...