Split is a 2016 psychological horror thriller film directed by M. Night Shyamalan, but Bruce Willis is not part of the cast. Instead, the lead role is played by James McAvoy.
Plot Summary of "Split":
Split follows the story of Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID), who has 23 distinct personalities. One of these personalities, known as "The Beast," begins to dominate the others, leading to a dangerous and unpredictable situation.
The film opens with Kevin kidnapping three teenage girls: Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), and Marcia (Jessica Sula). As the girls attempt to understand their captor and find a way to escape, they are introduced to the various personalities residing within Kevin.
Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), a psychiatrist who works with Kevin, becomes aware of the emerging dominance of "The Beast" personality and the potential for supernatural abilities associated with it. Casey, one of the kidnapped girls, draws on her own traumatic past to navigate the complex situation.
Throughout the film, the narrative delves into the psychological aspects of DID and the impact of trauma on individuals. The tension builds as the girlstry to outsmart Kevin's various personalities and escape before "The Beast" is unleashed.
It's worth noting that Split is also connected to M. Night Shyamalan's earlier film, "Unbreakable" (2000), as part of what would later be referred to as the "Eastrail 177 Trilogy." The connection between these films is revealed in a post-credits scene, setting the stage for the third installment, Glass (2019), where characters from both Unbreakable and Split come together.
Cast
- James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb / Dennis / Patricia / Hedwig / Barry / Orwell / Jade / The Beast: Kevin lives with dissociative identity disorder (DID), whereby he has 23 distinct personalities. A 24th personality, "The Beast", manifests as an insatiable cannibal with superhuman capabilities.
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey Cooke, a teenage girl with a history of self-harm
- Izzie Coffey as 5-year-old Casey
- Betty Buckley as Karen Fletcher, a psychologist who helps Kevin with his DID
- Haley Lu Richardson as Claire Benoit, a classmate of Casey
- Jessica Sula as Marcia, a classmate of Casey
- Sebastian Arcelus as Casey's father
- Brad William Henke as John Cooke, Casey's paternal uncle
- Neal Huff as Mr. Benoit, Claire's father
- Lyne Renée as academic moderator
- M. Night Shyamalan as Jai, a security guard
- Rosemary Howard as Penelope Crumb, Kevin's mother
- Bruce Willis as David Dunn (uncredited cameo)
- Kim Director as Hannah (uncredited; scenes deleted)
- Sterling K. Brown as Shaw (uncredited; scenes deleted)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Box Office Gross: $278,454,417
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Release Date: January 18, 2017