Heroes and villains are all around us. Director M. Night Shyamalan reintroduces us to the vigilante justice hero David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and the villain Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) from Unbreakable. And sets them with our multiple-personality lead Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) from Split to craft the film Glass.
When Elijah Price, better known as Mr. Glass, is joined by two new residents at the Raven Hill Memorial Psychiatric Hospital that he calls home, things are about to get interesting. How did Dunn and Crumb end up at this hospital?
Although Mr. Glass has brittle bones, he is blessed with an amazing mind and may have just had some influence in bringing them all together — or, at least, he believes he did.
At the hospital, the three men meet Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson). Staple’s research has dealt with individuals with delusions of grandeur, and she feels she holds the key to unlocking Elijah, David and Kevin’s conditions. The doctor believes that the superpowers that her patients think they have are all in their minds. But are they, or is there something deeper going on? She does have a number of unique methods, but is she making any progress?
Together McAvoy, Willis and Jackson form a powerful trio of onscreen talent to bring a conclusion to this trilogy of sorts for Shyamalan. It is a film that will hold your attention throughout as it skillfully weaves each character’s story into a cohesive narrative.
As with many of Shyamalan’s films, there are twists and turns along the way up until the very end of Glass, and that works for me, mostly. I felt that using the last 10 minutes or more of the film simply to explain what audiences just saw may have been a bit over the top. I love when films leave some things open for discussion. I don’t like to know everything, but then again, I’m in the minority when it comes to reveals like this.
Despite my concerns with the closing moments of this film, it is a solid release for the genre. Shyamalan delivers a product that we’ve come to be familiar with, and despite a few films mid-career that stumbled, he has been able to pick himself up and produce more of what we enjoy viewing from him.
Glass doesn’t break new ground, but Glass does break through a normally difficult stretch of the film season in a good way.
Glass is available On Demand and DVD beginning April 16; check your cable system for availability.
