THE GIFT (2000)
4 stars
Arrow Video. Limited Edition 4K UHD
Annabelle Wilson (Cate Blanchett), is a widow with three young boys, living in a small town, trying to make ends meet.
She is a clairvoyant, a psychic who uses the symbol ESP cards to give locals readings. Among her clientele are Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi), a mechanic who has anger management issues and Valerie Barksdale (Hilary Swank), who she advises to leave her abusive husband Donnie (a very good Keane Reeves). When he learns of this he threatens both Annabelle, calling her a witch, and her children.
Jessica King (Katie Holmes) is the fiancée of Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear), the principal of the school. When she suddenly goes missing, sceptic Sheriff Johnson (a young J.K. Simmons), reluctantly turns to Annabelle to see if she can help. Through her visions, she identifies that she has drowned and they end up searching the pond on Donnie’s property and find her body. Donnie is arrested for the murder. But did he do it?
More murder mystery thriller than an out and out horror, this has Sam Raimi directing, far from the splatter of his EVIL DEAD movies and before he hit the big time with a certain SPIDER-MAN. The tight, if predictable script is by Billy Bob Thornton (apparently basing the main character on his mum) and Tom Epperson. One of Raimi’s lesser known films, he knows how to ring the tension out of the scenario and is working with a stellar cast. The cinematography by Jamie Anderson and music by Christopher Young add massively to the overall atmosphere.
On a side note Annie’s car is the famous Oldsmobile that makes an appearance in most of Raimi’s films
Steve Kirkham
EXTRAS
4 stars
Two audio commentaries: one by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, one by critic Meagan Navarro
Isolated music and effects track
Haunting Visions, a newly filmed interview with actor Chelcie Ross (6 mins)
Savage Waters, a newly filmed interview with editors Bob Murawski and Arthur Coburn (12 mins)
Southern Gothic, a newly filmed interview with composer Christopher Young (8 mins)
Four archive promo featurettes: The Gift: A Look Inside, The Making of The Gift, The Cast on Sam Raimi and Sam Raimi on The Cast
Archival promotional interviews with Sam Raimi, Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves and Giovanni Ribisi
Archival footage from the film’s world premiere
Music video for “Furnace Room Lullaby” by Neko Case
Theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots
Plus reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Thinh Dinh and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Bilge Ebiri, original production notes and and an excerpt from the book The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi by John Kenneth Muir
