The Gift

View Date: January 27th, 2001

Cast :

Writer: Billy Bob Thornton  (original story) & Tom Epperson 

Director: Sam Raimi 

The most shocking thing about Sam Raimi’s new supernatural thriller is not it’s awesome award worthy cast, including Cate Blanchett’s chameleon-like turn as a southern single mother, or Giovanni Ribisi’s versatile intense performance as a small town mechanic with issues.  It isn’t the methodical plot that slowly weaves you into a web and twists you into knots, before stumbling home in a finish that couldn’t possibly live up to the expectations of the setup.  No, the most surprising thing about The Gift, is that Keanu Reeves fits right in, and actually out acts half of the cast.  As a despicable short-tempered husband, Reeves shows that there may actually be a real actor buried beneath the surf lingo and action hero attitude that has pervaded the majority of his previous performances.  He is violent, intense, and makes the audience believe he is a viable real villain, unlike his unconvincing silly serial killer turn in The Watcher.  Combine that with Blanchett, Ribisi, an underused, but effective Hilary Swank, some genuine suspenseful moments, and The Gift is a pleasant surprise, albeit not all it could have been.

As he usually does, Raimi unwraps his movie slowly, building his story, establishing his characters then slowly revealing the tale, while keeping the audience watching with intense visuals and dialogue.  Blanchett is a Southern housewife who is raising 3 kids alone after the death of her husband. On the side, she does “psychic” readings of the townsfolk, including Swank, the wife of the abusive Reeves.   There is a disbelief and animosity amongst most in the town for Blanchett’s gift, so it’s taken rather lightly when she has visions of a girl (Holmes) who has disappeared.  Holmes fiancée (Kinnear) and father, come to Blanchett for help and in turn enlist the law to help find and solve the mystery.  Raimi has a gift for making the seeming unreal fit into the progression of things, by showing normal people, reacting to abnormal circumstances.  He shows that  the humanity of a situation can sometimes make things a bit easier to swallow, if the audience can relate.  Raimi also never rushes things, not afraid to hold his cards, or even tease us a bit, by letting us in on things without spoiling his intentions.  Each moment the story goes deeper, your knuckles will clench into the seat, your stomach will turn, and you may even turn away, not wanting to see what happens, but also knowing what will.  He does stumble a bit towards the end, tying things a bit too neatly, or even trying so hard to surprise, that it doesn’t really seem that shocking after all.  But in the grand scheme of the delivery, the message comes across long before the credits roll, and the end is only the respite and resolution, of what the audience may or may not have suspected.

As stated above, the performance of Reeves is really quite surprising.  Prior to this film, the only time I’d admitted that he actually acted was in 1992’s My Own Private Idaho with the late River Phoenix.  Keanu shows that when drops the entire attitude, and stops flexing his muscles, he can actually deliver a powerful performance.  I would dare say that he rises to the level of his co-stars, but Bram Stoker’s Dracula disproves that fact.  I’ll just say that I hope he maintains this intensity and explores the levels of the gift that he may finally have discovered.  Blanchett is really becoming the definition of cinematic versatility.  She has now played a British monarch, a New Jersey housewife, and a Southern single mom.  It makes you wonder what her accent and voice really sound like (she’s Australian by the way).  Along with her vocal accuracy, Blanchett displays strength amidst vulnerability in coping with her gift, and the repercussions of it.  Since her Oscar robbery, she has definitely shown that she is no one hit wonder.  Someday, she will be recognized.  As will Ribisi, robbed of a nomination for Saving Private Ryan, he has continued his trek towards recognition, taking great chances and bearing his intensity and soul for this role.  He elicits fear, sympathy, empathy and anger, all within the same scene sometimes, which some actors cannot do in a whole body of work.  If nothing else, I hope this movie garners attention for its slighted stars.

Ultimately, The Gift is a thriller worthy of unwrapping, although its contents may not be pleasant.  Amidst the every day occurrences, there are those who may or not have certain powers, and Raimi explores all sides of this aspect.  Do these result from mere suggestion, or past experiences, or are there greater forces at work that no one can understand.  Along with Simple Plan, Raimi shows he can explore the emotions and effects of outside forces on an innocent entity with the best of them.  While he weaves a magically creepy story, laced with characters which may not always be likeable, but are undeniably real, Raimi shows that his true gift is the ability to be patient, to surprise, and to make the audience take a second look, at performers, and at the events that occur around us.  Pay attention to what’s happening, because he sure is. ($$$ out of $$$$)

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