SPLIT

Directed by: Night M Shyamallan

Starring by: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley

Production: Blumhouse Production

Finally, after a month without horror movies on January, I chase this one at cinema to be the first on 2017, especially this is the movie of Mr. Shyamallan who we all known as one of tremendous creator of mystery film, and for my testimony, he never failed me down whenever I watched his movie since Sixth Sense.

James McAvoy had pull to the next level in this film, he cast the character who had 23 personalities and emerging probably 9 of it at once, which I thought it would be overwhelming for a star who got perfect talent, though, but he plays it very well when he's kidnapping three young girls from the mall after birthday party they’ve attended. 

He knocks em down with spray, while covering himself with commercial mask. If you ever bought commercial mask and wear then you know that it still had small slit to make the gas from coming inside, so you also will be knocked down with the spray.

But the kidnapper succeeding to take the three girls to his compound and Casey Cooke, Claire Benoit, and Marcia had to face a kidnapper who turn out to be a freak because he’s able to transform into different type of characters like Kevin, Patricia, Hedwig, but mostly they had to deal with Dennis, the character who take responsible of the kidnapping.

They knew about his condition when found out he’s wearing woman dress as Patricia and told them not to be worry because Dennis had been warned not to touch them because they all prepared to greater purpose for the beast.

While they tried to find the way to escape from the locked room, Kevin sending email to Dr. Fletcher, his psychiatrist, and asked for help. But when he met her the next day, Barry – the character who becomes leader of the 23 character and allowing each character to pass the light to taken Kevin’s body – convinced her hardly that everything was under control. 

Dr. Fletcher realized something wrong about Kevin, she knew him very well so she’s got hunch that it was not Barry who talk to her during session, but it was the manipulative character name Dennis.

Casey who got experience being abuse warned her two friends to find better moment rather than attacking Kevin altogether, she becomes friend with Hedwig and manipulated him to find a chance to escape. 

It was Hedwig who told Casey about the room's leak so the girl could find bars on the ceiling and make Claire run from the room, but she failed to escape because Kevin was able to catch her and put her to separate cell from the other. Marcia was also trying to escape herself by knocking Patricia with chair and went to the door which led to Barry’s room. But, again, Kevin or Patricia managed to hold her.

Dr. Fletcher studied Kevin closely so she determines that person whom she met was indeed Dennis. She confront him to pull aside from pretending being Barry and got his thrust so Dennis finally acknowledge himself to her. Dennis told her about the horrible story of Beast inside Kevin, the strongest of them all, but she neglected that as fantasy, a fake story though, that she already study Kevin with all of his 23 personalities but there’s no 24^th.

First I got confused why Barry, the character of swaying fashion designer, could be a leader of the personalities but when you see at the rear you’ll realized it was Barry who prepared the wardrobe of them, just like Dennis with his wool sweater and glasses, or like Patricia with scarf and skirt, or Hedwig who wear casual and sporty outfit of 9 year old boy, and each clothes were hung orderly on Barry’s room.

   

Dr. Fletcher eventually realized that she was wrong when she got lots of email from Kevin. She met Kevin on his place, urge to pursue Dennis, instead she found that her patient was kept the three girl whom being abducted on his shelter. The man spray her and make her fainted. 

On that crucial night, the 24^th personality who known as Beast emerge, turning Kevin’s body unto creature with big muscle and super human strength that give him ability beyond normal person such crawling the wall on bare hand but got the lust of human flesh.

The beast killed Dr. Fletcher and ate Claire and Marcia. He was near to do the same with Casey when she found Dr. Fletcher notes to call out the name of original alter, Kevin Wendell Crumb, and he told her about the shotgun he kept to kill himself before The Beast occupied him once again. Casey running down the hall, trying to lose herself from the creature, able to find a shell from Crumb’s locker and waiting for the Beast who approached her slowly at the dead-end alley.

On this scene shown how the protagonist female was uncomfortable holding a rifle. She holds it too low and wasting her bullets with the shot that only hit empty air, contrary with perspective given to the audience that she was giving lesson to shot by her father since toddler. If she really had the expertise, she must have known that she had to put the gun in front of her shoulder and eyes between rear sights to follow object movement like her daddy had taught.  

  

The beast released her then when he found out scars on Casey’s body, the scars she’s got from getting abuse by her uncle who look after for her since her father passed away. Kevin who experienced the same torment on childhood – which dividing his personalities as he’s now – give respect for her and leave her behind. At the end of the scene, Casey was found by zoo keeper who brought her up stair, showing Casey that she’s been held at the zoo all this time.

The captivity of the girls and the nickname that being used for Kevin’s crime, Herod, really got attention of public, including David Dunn – playing by Bruce Willis – because the patrons remains them of crime that occurred 15 years ago that have done by Mr. Glass. I guess Mr. Shyamallan was not done yet with this one and I think we’ll just wait for the sequel then…but before that let’s enjoy this one first…