The Gift

Other suspects include a hot-tempered bully (Keanu Reeves) whose battered wife (Hilary Swank) is one of the psychic's regular clients, and a traumatized local (Giovanni Ribisi) who is tenuously stabilized by therapy and antidepressants. While this trio of potential killers keeps the mystery alive, the requisite red herrings don't add much to the film's low-level suspense. Instead, Raimi is far more effective in creating an atmosphere of anxious dread that wells up from each of these finely drawn characters, starting with the widow psychic's extended mourning for her lost husband, the agonized terror of a beaten wife, and the percolating anger of a cuckolded spouse. All of this makes The Gift a worthy showcase for its esteemed cast, even as its plot twists grow increasingly familiar. --Jeff Shannon

The action takes place in a rural Georgia town, where Cate reads cards for clients in an attempt to make ends meet. Hilary Swank is one of Cate's clients. Cate counsels her to leave her abusive and womanizing husband, played by Keanu Reeves. This just earns Cate the emnity of Keanu, who begins a campaign of terror against her. Cate also reads cards for Giovanni Ribisi, who is a standout with his dazzling performance in the role of a mentally traumatized young man, whom Cate treats kindly.

Cate is called to her son's school one day, where she meets with Greg Kinnear over something her son did. While there, she meets meets his kittenish fiancee, well played by Katie Holmes, who recognizes Cate as the local psychic and asks what she sees in their future. What Cate sees does not bode well for them.

When Kinnear's fiancee predictably turns up murdered, the hunt is on for her killer. The obvious suspect is Keanu Reeves, who is tried and convicted for the murder, after Cate testifies at his trial. You see, the body was found in a pond on his property, after Cate had a vision about it, and Keanu had been having an affair with her and had been the last person known to have seen the deceased alive.

After the trial, however, Cate has visions that lead her to believe that the real killer has escaped justice. While there are a number of red herrings that are thrown the viewer's way, the viewer should have no trouble zeroing in on the real killer. What is surprising is the way Cate escapes death at the hands of that killer. Therein lies the real surprise. Viewers should enjoy this quirky, though interesting, film.


Creepy Gothic murder mystery   March 30, 2003
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
26 out of 31 found this review helpful

"The Gift"'s biggest gift is Cate Blanchett, who expertly carries the entire plotline as a tarot-card reader in the deep South. This film suffers from one or two problematic actors and some cheesy visuals, but it's otherwise very creepy.

Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) lost her husband in an explosion, and now supports her three sons on her tarot-card readings, which use her psychic "gift." Among the people who seek her help are Buddy (Giovanni Ribisi), a young man scarred by childhood molestation, and Valerie (Hilary Swank), a weak young woman who lives in terror of her violent redneck husband Donnie (Keanu Reeves). Worse, Donnie is threatening both Annie and her children, claiming that she's a Satan-worshipper and a witch because of her tarot readings.

When Jessica (Katie Holmes), the seductive fiancee of a friend vanishes, Annie begins to have visions of what may have happened. The visions of white flowers, fences, and pondwater lead Annie and the skeptical police chief to Donnie's land, where the girl's body is found in the pond. Though at first Annie is convinced that Donnie is the one who murdered Jessica, her gift leads her to believe otherwise.

This movie just brims over with "Southernness," with lots of moss, mist, bigoted rednecks, swampy forests and dirty little secrets. It's not an amazing movie, despite the good actors and good direction, partly because many parts of it are a bit cliched. But it's haunting and creepy, and those who enjoyed "The Sixth Sense" may also enjoy "The Gift." (Annie sees dead people too!)

Cate Blanchett is, as always, stunning in whatever role she plays. This time it's a sort of tarot-reading madonna, and her expressive eyes and face can instantly flip from one emotion to another. Greg Kinnear plays Jessica's haunted fiancee, who has an eye for Annie; Hilary Swank is also very good as Valerie, as are the three boys who play Annie's children. Keanu Reeves was a problem, though. He's supposed to be a violent, cheating, raging redneck, but he wasn't very convincing.

Probably to call this a horror film isn't quite accurate. Though it's very creepy and horrific, it isn't gory or truly horrific. (The most horrifying scene doesn't involve dead people or visions, but the sexually-abused Buddy crying, shrieking and attacking his father) Actually, it sags when we get things like visions of Jessica, or rolling stormclouds -- these are a little too obvious for the otherwise eerie movie. And I was able to guess quite quickly who the murderer was, simply by considering who it would be too easy to think it was.

"The Gift" isn't an astounding movie, but quite a watchable one. Part Southern Gothic, part murder mystery, part horror/ghost flick, this is not something to watch with the lights off. Definitely nowhere near a pond.


Wonderfully Spooky   May 2, 2001
Nettie (London)
18 out of 22 found this review helpful

I loved this movie so much, I saw it 4 times at the cinema. The all round cast of Keanu Reeves, Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes and Giovanni Ribisi gave it just the right mix to make it work.

I was very impressed by Keanu Reeves' performance as Donnie Barksdale, an overbearing, wife-beating redneck. I could tell Keanu rose to the challenge of such a demanding role. The abuse to his poor wife Valerie [Hilary Swank] was very realistic and Keanu had me scared.

I enjoyed Ms Blanchett as Annie Wilson. You can realy sympathise with her situation ~ losing a husband so young and having 3 boys to look after, trying to make ends meet by card reading. It didn't come across as hammy at all. She is a TOP actress.

The overall effects of the film are outstanding [Good 'ol Sam Raimi] and you don't notice this film was made on a shootstring budget.

The accompanying soundtrack is a MUST BUY. Although, not all the songs listed are in the actual film, it doesn't matter. It just enhances the enjoyment of this film. One of the best soundtracks around.

GO BUY THIS MOVIE!!


gift ...of vision of future...   February 4, 2001
Jasleen Matharu
17 out of 22 found this review helpful

A wonderful treat for mystery lovers... Fantastic star cast is the icing on top of an excellent plot. The cast led by Cate Blanchett is accompanied by Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes, Keanu Reeves, Greg Kinnear and Giovani Ribisi. Rabisi, for his role as a emotionally disturbed man who finds solace in the character of Cate Blanchett, deserves at the very least an Oscar nomination. Keanu Reeves also gives a performance worth noticing of an abusive husband to Hilary Swank. Katie Holmes up to the mark as the promiscuous, rich young woman of the small little town in Georgia, where the movie is set. As Holmes' fiance Greg Kinnear plays a perfect southern gentleman with brilliant ease. The supernatural psychic powers of Cate Blanchett's character are the connotation of the title of the movie. The movie revolves around the disappearance and then murder of Holmes' character. The mystery unfolds as Blanchett gets premonitions leading to the real culprit. The film is grasping frame by frame. It is very delicately handled as required by the scripts involving paranormal activities, this is a worth see and own movie.


You've Never Seen Keanu Like This!   July 4, 2001
Renie Campoli (Indiana)
15 out of 23 found this review helpful

"The Gift" is a quiet movie with strong performances, especially from my favorite person in the universe, Keanu Reeves. Here he plays a wife-beating redneck who can be polite and charming one minute, and terribly violent the next. He does a startling turn in this one, as do many others, including Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, and Giovanni Ribisi. Cate Blanchett is fine as a psychic in a small town, using her gift to help support her and her children since the death of her husband. Facing harrassment from Reeves' Donnie Barksdale, as well as being ridiculed in open court, Blanchett's Annie is quietly strong, yet somewhat fragile when it comes to her startlingly horrific visions. The setting is perfectly creepy (it was filmed in Savannah, GA,) and the film has a nice surprise ending, somewhat akin to "The Sixth Sense." I highly reccomend "The Gift."