That's not a ding against The Sixth Sense, which itself was a pretty suspenseful thriller. Of course, it would have been more suspenseful if people hadn't kept talking about you-know-who actually being you-know-what. Associating your new movie with one of the most famous/infamous twist-ending movies of the last decade can't do you any favors. The buzz about that kind of thing can overshadow the actual story.

The characters in Eastwood's movies (frequently played by Eastwood himself) are soulful, gritty and heartbreaking. The "sense of place" in his locations and scenery is often evocative and absorbing. In other words, the man knows how to make movies. So while I wouldn't presume to give advice to Eastwood (not that he's reading this... I don't think), DreamWorks could stand to find some other way to set the early publicity tone. It's one thing to give people a sense of your movie, and another thing entirely to give them a sixth sense.