Review of The Gift (2000) by Steve J — 10 Dec 2007

Sam Raimi's newest film, The Gift, has a pretty impressive list of names associated with it. Billy Bob Thornton shares the writing credit and the actors involved include Greg Kinear, Giovanni Ribisi, Katie Holmes, Hillary Swank, and Keanu Reeves. My greatest worry was that the acting in this movie would be overwhelming--it's so full of leading men and leading ladies, I was afraid there would be too many egos at work to produce a good movie.

Luckily, I was wrong. All of the actors mentioned above settle down nicely in their (sometimes minor) roles. The lead role is played by a less well-known actress, Cate Blanchett, who does a fine job as the psychic Southerner. Perhaps the most impressive acting was by Ribisi, whose disturbed mechanic character can only be described as "intense." I was also amazed by Keanu Reeves, not because he did a great job, but because he actually acted. He was good on his own merit, not because of the strength of the script or because he was playing Ted. This is perhaps the first movie where I've seen Keanu "act" and NOT thought of the Bill and Ted movies.

The story is a supernatural thriller, which have perhaps become a bit too common since the success of The Sixth Sense. Luckily, unlike the Die Hard tradition, most of the "like The Sixth Sense" movies actually bother to come up with original plots, and The Gift is no exception. It's essentially a murder mystery, with the supernatural element provided by the main character's psychic powers.

The script delivers just the right combination of humor, creepiness, and cheap scares. The look of the movie, from the props to the settings, has just the right feel, and there are a few shots of the murder victim's corpse to remind you that the movie is being directed by the man who brought you the Evil Dead flicks. The film's score is perfect for the atmosphere of the movie. The music is generally very quiet and subtle, and many scenes go completely without a soundtrack.

The only real flaw in The Gift is that the ending seemed rather rushed. The build-up was done extremely well, but the final discovery of the killer's identity seemed to happen a bit too quickly. I'm sure duration was the reason for this-the movie's nearly two hours as is--but I would have been willing to spend a little more time watching.

Also, Katie Holmes gets naked.