 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
. |
Gift,
The
(2000) |
||||||||
|
. |
Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is a struggling, recently widowed mother of three living in small town America. She is also a psychic who reads for various townsfolk. One of her clients is the battered wife of the local red neck (Keanu Reeves). Also part of this small community are Wayne Collins, her son's school teacher and his fiancé Jessica, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. When Jessica disappears, her father, fiancé and the police turn to Annie as a last resort to find the girl. When Annie's disturbing visions implicate Reeves and a body turns up in his pond, it appears like an open and shut case. But there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. With Sam Raimi at the helm of this supernatural thriller, the audience could have expected a creepy, unnerving film. Instead, The Gift is a mishmash serving up mediocre fare. Raimi appears unable to decide whether to go for a courtroom drama, a small town 'can of worms' story, a supernatural thriller or a simple whodunit. His untidy combination is a failure on all counts. The few chills that are present come in the form of dream sequences which allow Raimi to introduce some semblance of his trademark horror. Unfortunately, even these appear forced and manufactured. The Gift fails miserably where the earlier What Lies Beneath succeeded. The films saving grace is another excellent performance from Cate Blanchett, surely one of the best talents to emerge recently. Reeves is suitably 'hick' as the wife beating red neck but his role, like Hillary Swank's, has little scope and both are wasted. But as the film winds to its predictable climax with only the psychic Annie unaware of what the future holds in store, the overwhelming feeling is that with Blanchett, Reeves, Swank and Raimi, The Gift promised so much more than it delivered.
|
||||||||
