There’s no denying that Split doesn’t pack quite the punch of Shyamalan’s early work, but it’s pretty damn close.Īlthough Split is fascinating, tense and creepy to the point of discomfort, its main issue is that it puts all its cards on the table too early. However, what starts as an interesting character study quickly descends into sci-fi chaos – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just turns out to be something slightly different to what you’re initially expecting. That’s not to say that there aren’t other strong performances here – namely from Anya Taylor-Joy, whose characteristically restrained performance strikes just the right chord – but they pale into insignificance when compared to the absolute feast that McAvoy gives us. In one moment, young and innocent a second later, completely monstrous. Clearly McAvoy is in his element here – with a simple pucker of his mouth or raise of his eyebrow, he completely transforms himself. Why is it that people seem to have a morbid fascination with dissociative identity disorder? Part of the reason could be the endless possibilities that the condition offers, and this is exactly what Shyamalan has taken advantage of with Split. Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Blinding Edge Pictures Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, James McAvoy, Haley Lu Richardson, Kim Director