Search - The Gift on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 12/2/2024...

Interesting and creepy at the same time.

Gloria B. (glowbird) from SPOKANE, WA
Reviewed on 11/26/2022...

This one is a keeper. Stand out acting from Giovanni Ribisi, a man who is psychologically damaged from childhood trauma (rape) and Greg Kinnear, shedding his usual good-guy character here, and Keanu Reeves, who portrays a mean, abusive man that is most unlikable. Little mentioned is Hilary Swank playing the abused wife of Reeves' character who embodies the victim of domestic violence. Cate Blanchett shines as the tarot card reader whose "gift" is helping people on the one hand while placing herself and her family in danger. It is southern gothic thriller that I would love on Blu-ray. Well worth a watch.

1 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Jennifer D. (jennicat) from ST AUGUSTINE, FL
Reviewed on 3/29/2014...

I was on the edge of my seat. I really liked the suspence! This one is in my library.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Becky Y. from WARNER ROBINS, GA
Reviewed on 3/18/2011...

A little disappointing, but such good actors I rate it three anyway. I wanted a little more actual suspense and mystery.

3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Scary!

Kona | Emerald City | 12/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Living among the shadowy swamps and Spanish moss of rural Georgia is Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchette), a psychic who reads cards for believers. When the town belle goes missing, Annie starts seeing flashes of the girl's death, leading police to her body and helping arrest the local bully (Keanu Reeves).

This spooky and scary thriller was directed by Sam Raimi and co-written by Billy Bob Thornton. The cast is full of talent, including Hillary Swank, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear, and Katie Holmes and they are all wonderful. Even Reeves is convincing as the menacing redneck villain. But it's Cate Blanchette's movie all the way; she captures her character's southern accent and vulnerability perfectly and is immediately interesting and sympathetic. We know her "gift" of visions will put her in mortal peril, but the identity of the killer remains a mystery until the end. The story is full of likely suspects, thunder claps, and enough things going bump in the night to keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended for suspense fans."

Great film

B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 05/12/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While the Gift is a very entertaining film, it does have somewhat of a Lifetime Movie Network quality to it. That's not to say the acting skills are below average or anything- the acting *is* actually really good. Maybe it's the storyline giving off somewhat of a low budget feel, despite being interesting enough to watch the entire way through.

Or actually, it's probably the feeling that the film writers were holding back a bit and unwilling to accurately portray how violent a few of the segments REALLY could be, making the movie almost appropriate for regular TV (despite a few nasty words being thrown around occasionally, of course).

It's about a psychic woman living in a small town with her three kids, and she predicts events that eventually happen which means -because she lives in a small town perhaps- everyone accuses her of being a witch.

Throughout the movie there's certain troublemakers she has to deal with, such as one of her patients violent and abusive husbands, who dominates the first half of the movie by constantly threatening the psychic woman and accusing her of being a witch. The second half of the movie involves a court case and the town police over who murdered this one woman and threw her body in a lake.

The courtroom scene dragged about five minutes too long, but other than that, this movie had a bunch of highlights. It's mostly a film for adults, thanks to a few really violent scenes, and of course, the occasional strong cussing doesn't help matters either. Good movie."

Entertaining

catsandbooks | NM | 04/08/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Cate Blanchett plays a young widow with three kids in a dusty Georgia town. A psychic, or card reader, she tries to help a local mechanic (Giovanni Ribisi) break through the wall he has thrown up over his hatred for his father. Keanu Reeves plays the abusive husband of one of her clients (Hillary Swank). He feels threatened by Blanchett and threatens her several times, but the local law enforcement shuns her complaint against him. Greg Kinnear is the principal of the school Blanchett's children attends, and the two of them have a definite attraction for one another. When Kinnear's fiancee (Katie Holmes)disappears, her father asks Blanchett to use her telepathic abilities to find his daughter. Enduring criticism and disbelief, Blanchett dreams of the young woman and leads the local authories to a pond on Reeves's land, where her body is dragged from the pond. Reeves is arrested and tried, but Blanchett suspects he isn't the one who killed the young woman.

I've seen this movie twice and enjoyed it both times I watched it. I usually find Cate Blanchett's acting aloof and distant, but she portrays her character with warmth and caring. The oustanding actor is Giovanni Ribisi, who portrays the angst and pain he is feeling over his traumatized childhood with his father with great depth. Reeves does a good job as a redneck man who bullies his way through life and Swank as his cowered wife. Definitely worth watching."