The Gift (2000)

The Gift (2000) What a cast!

Cate Blanchett, always perfect! Excellent actress. Wonderful performance!

Giovanni Ribisi, always disturbing, uncomfortable and embarrassing. But interesting!

Keanu Reeves, relatively scary here. A bad guy, another bad guy role, just like in the Watcher.

Katie Holmes, annoying and unbearable. Very well acted, but small role.

Greg Kinnear: you think this is going to be the smoothest character, but this excellent actor knows how to surprise.

Hilary Swank: quite unbearable! We want to tar her… when she’s already tarred in the film. But the psychology of battered women is often incomprehensible to those around them and to those who don’t experience it.

Would this be the fifth film I’ve enjoyed by Sam Raimi? If you don’t count the third Evil Dead? Because that one I like every other time I watch it, that’s what I feel like.

His Spider-Man trilogy has not been matched yet. His Simple Plan was also a very good film.

At the same time, I haven’t seen all his films… and I wonder if I won’t. He’s a director with huge potential as far as I can see. Well… I’ll definitely avoid a movie like Intruder, but I’m willing to go to his works that are not just gore.

J.K. Simmons seems to be one of his favorite actors.

We’re used to seeing him in rather horrible or hateful roles. Here, he starts like that… but ends up much more sympathetic. A way of reconciling with this actor, especially if you were traumatised by him when you saw him elsewhere.

Ah… but I had forgotten Oz the Great and Powerful (sequel to Wizards of Oz) which I had fully appreciated and The Quick and the Dead which I had liked a lot. By the way, it’s one of my favourite westerns along with Silverado and Bad Girls.

Okay, let’s cut it short!

A gripping film, some scares forced on me because of the music. It’s a pity, because the images are already terrifying enough, so there was no need to overdo it. A story that goes in several directions, as we find ourselves suspecting everyone.

The subject of mediumship is quite well exploited. Indeed, it’s not a gift that is easily explained. It’s not on demand and you can’t ask ultra precise questions to someone who has premonitions or immense intuitions.

Note that this film is called “The Gift” in English, but “Intuitions” in French.

Not to be confused with the equally good The Gift from 2015 with Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall.

Some inconsistencies, forced jumps scares… but a very good film nevertheless, because I had a good time.