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The Gift [2001]
from Lions Gate Home Entertainment
starring Cate Blanchett, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear
directed by Sam Raimi

Features:

• Anamorphic
• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

No one was better suited than Sam Raimi to fulfil co-writer Billy Bob Thornton's vision of The Gift. This supernatural whodunnit is set in the wooded and swampy Southern US town of Brixton, Georgia, which is altogether familiar territory for the director of the Evil Dead movies and producer of the TV series American Gothic. Raimi skilfully builds a sense of tension and unease, using his camera initially with pleasing restraint before letting rip with skewed angles and unpredictable editing effects in a series of disturbing dreams. These belong to local "Fortune Teller" Annie (a mesmerising Cate Blanchett), who "witnesses" the murder of a local good-time girl in her nightmares. As clues and red herrings pile up, it should become obvious that this is a tale more about people and place than plotting and the paranormal. After A Simple Plan it's clear that Raimi has become a mature film-maker as capable of handling psychological horror as he is at providing shocks. The top-notch ensemble cast give wholly believable performances, making the small-town setting and spooky events come alive superbly. Giovanni Ribisi and Keanu Reeves are ticking timebombs of problems, while Hilary Swank and Greg Kinnear are pathetic yet sympathetic bystanders. This is a movie of startling visions both in front of the camera and behind.

On the DVD: The deliberately diluted colour looks great in the 1:85:1 widescreen ratio. Swamp oaks loom tall and shadowy while streaks of sunlight pick out the brighter end of the spectrum. A Dolby Digital 5.1 track does justice to the dream sequence sound effects and Christopher Young's score dominated by scratch violin. The typical body of extras are included: a trailer, over-the-top TV and radio spots, but surprisingly no biographies for such a stellar cast. The "Making of" featurette is the usual clip-dominated TV promo and is seven minutes, not the advertised 10. Far better is a selection of interviews with Blanchett, Raimi (in constant suit and tie), Kinnear, Ribisi, Swank and Reeves. This is much more revealing about the production, but is also closer to 11 minutes than the stated 15. --Paul Tonks

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

• Truelly chilling.
  I have to admit to being slightly puzzled by some of the negative reviews I have seen about this film. I saw this at the cinema when it came out and had quite low expectations of it. Therefore, I was surprised by how chilling it really is. Combined with the acting skills of Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves, "Buddy" (Phoebe's brother in Friends) and Hilary Swank, this really is a better then average supernatural yarn.
  A young girl is missing and psychic Annie has visions of her decomposing body. But who is... more info

• 2 stars for the movie, +1 star for Blanchett
  There is nothing new, fresh, and even special about this movie. With its unoriginal & slow-paced plot, and contrived & clinché-drenched ending, it's a mediocre, 3-star thriller at best. But it does not mean that it's totally worthless. Theoretically, mystery and suspense are relatively easy to achieve, but setting an groovy plot and inventing a satisfactory ending is not. "The Gift" undeniably falls into this pitfall.
  From beginning to end, "The Gift" follows the traditional,... more info

• Just as good as What lies beneath
  When a local woman (Katie Holmes) disappears and the police can't seem to find any leads, her father (Chelcie Ross) turns to a poor young woman (Cate Blanchett) with psychic powers. Slowly she starts having visions of the woman chained and in a pond. Her visions lead to the body and the arrest of an abusive husband (Keanu Reeves), but did he really do it? Greg Kinnear is the missing woman's fiancee, Hilary Swank plays Reeve's abused wife, and Gary Cole is a sleazy attorney with ties to the missing woman.

• Slow builder...but stick with it...
  Wrongly billed as a outright horror flick upon release, the Gift is more like a psychological drama, with a bit of courtroom thrown in, and ending with some pretty nifty scares.

  Sam Raimi directs, showing that he can do more than just horror, and comic book movies, with a film that is slow to build up, but all the better for it.

  Cate Blanchett plays a psychic, with a young family, who becomes under threat from Keanu Reeves character, who believes she is trying to break up his marriage with Hilary Swank.... more info

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