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The Gift (2001)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
Keanu Reeves Donnie Barksdale
Cate Blanchett Annabelle Wilson
Giovanni Ribisi Buddy Cole
Gary Cole David Duncan
Kim Dickens Linda
Katie Holmes Jessica King
Michael Jeter Gerald Weems
Greg Kinnear Wayne Collins
Hilary Swank Valerie Barksdale
J.K. Simmons Sheriff Pearl Johnson
Rosemary Harris Annie's Granny
Movie Details
Genre Horror; Thriller; Mystery
Director Sam Raimi
Producer Sean Daniel; James Jacks; Grant Curtis
Writer Billy Bob Thornton; Tom Epperson
Studio Paramount Pictures
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 111 mins
Country USA
Color Color
IMDb Rating 6.7
Plot
Take a pinch of psychic phenomenon, add a dash of Southern gothic, stir in a sharp cast of talented actors, and you'll come up with The Gift, director Sam Raimi's ingenious gumbo of a thriller. It doesn't hold together as well as Raimi's earlier A Simple Plan, but the two films are stylistically connected--The Gift was cowritten (with Tom Epperson) by A Simple Plan's costar, Billy Bob Thornton, who in turn draws from the Deep South milieu that informed his own Sling Blade and his earlier collaboration with Epperson, One False Move. A similar sense of mystery permeates The Gift, in which a small-town Georgia psychic (perfectly played by Cate Blanchett) is tormented by tragic loss and visions connected to the murder of a local vamp (Katie Holmes) whose schoolteacher fiance (Greg Kinnear) is a prime suspect.

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

Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 470
Collection Status In Collection
Links Amazon US
The Gift at Movie Collector Connect
IMDB
Amazon US
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio 1.85:1
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
UPC (Barcode) 097363289548
Release Date 7/17/2001
Subtitles English; English (Closed Captioned)
Packaging Keep Case
Audio Tracks English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Interactive Menus Scene Selection Theatrical Trailer Exclusive Cast and Crew Interviews Music Video "Furnace Room Lullaby" Performed by Neko Case & Her Boyfriends