So, I wanted to go controversial with this, but then I remembered I haven't seen any of M. Night's controversial films like Signs and The Village in well over 10 years, and I don't feel inclined to watch them again currently when there are so many new films I haven't seen. I also want to save Glass for later because I am intrigued enough to give it a rewatch before diving into it.

So that brings us to Split. I think it's easily his third best film, with one of the best performances of this century, at least, from James McAvoy. However, it's not quite the masterpiece I consider Unbreakable to be. Some roughish pacing and not very smart character choices definitely hurt it in my eyes

Split is a film about a girl named Casey Cooke being kidnapped with two "friends" on her way out of one of their birthday parties. It's a pretty simple premise on the surface, but with the revelation soon after of her captor being an odd man with apparently multiple personalities, it gains a mostly unique kidnapping angle.

First things first, Kevin Wendell Crumb. Such a masterful performance from James McAvoy. I sincerely don't think the subtle nuances and phrasing choices he does to help separate these characters can be praised enough. You could argue it was a gimmicky role, but I feel that in itself implies it shouldn't be taken seriously, something I strongly disagree with. You can tell just from his slight body language when he seamlessly switches between Dennis, Patricia, and Hedwig. The Beast is an intense figure full of rage and aggression, and he completely chews up the final act of the film with that character. Kevin himself is an immediately sympathetic man who you feel for as he realizes what his other personalities have gotten him into.

Anya Taylor Joy as Casey Cooke is also a great performance. The only other one besides rapeuncle, in my opinion. The other characters, including the therapist lady, all just kind of felt flat and dull to me. Not really bad, just not memorable and somewhat generic. Joy outshines her counterparts in their scenes together easily, and watching Split really sold me on her as a serious player for big films in the future. She conveys fear, empathy, sympathy, desperation, even genuine happiness a couple times, perfectly. You are easily won to her side in the film, and as a bonus she is easily the smartest non-Horde character

The story itself isn't a whole lot to write home about in screenwriting terms, but the directing and cinematography puts it over as a big deal, and the Horde aspect helps as well. The clues as to where they were being held were expertly done. I am certainly of the camp that the best suspense/thriller mystery stories should be solvable if you pay close attention. The Beast being a concoction of zoo animals I thought was very clever, and although I thought it could've been handled better, I do overall like the sparing of Casey because of her past suffering. It was an interesting dynamic, and it felt like pretty well done social commentary I must say. The Beast assuming she is like the others and not considering what could be going on behind closed doors isn't exactly extremely deep, but the basic message of "Don't judge a book by its cover" was fine nonetheless.

I know this is running a bit long friends, and I do apologize. But let's talk about the film! Did you like it? Were you going in blind into the theater? Did you enjoy the twist with David Dunn? Were you expecting another Shyamalan flop or intrigued enough that you hoped for more? Let's talk about it!