Sam Raimi is a very gifted director. Whether it's genre driven films such as the Evil Dead series or the recent Spider-Man he has a very good sense of the films he's making. Of his more serious recent films such as A Simple Plan and For the Love of the Game, I think The Gift, his last serious effort before Spider-Man, stands out as the best.
The film has a few faults however so I just want to get those out of the way. Some of the characters aren't developed enough so we lose interest in them quite quickly. Also the outcome is quite obvious early on in the film, so a few more twist to maybe keep the audiences guessing would've been appreciated. Other than that however we have a pretty well made picture so these minor flaws don't overshadow an otherwise brilliant production.
First and foremost this is a character driven piece lead by the incredible Cate Blanchet. She is quite the chameleon in her movies. She can go from playing Queen Elizabeth, to a southern fortune teller without skipping a beat. Her talent is something that most performers should strive for. She's very efficent in her part here. She's very likable and she makes you feel for her character.
Giovanni Ribisi is also very good in the film. He could've played it like the stereotypical crazy person but he brings something new to the role. We feel for him because he brings his struggle across so well when he's on screen.
Hillary Swank is good also but her character is majorly underdeveloped. She falls into stereotypical battered wife mode but I did like her performance. I just wish she was given more to do.
Keanu Reeves was such a shock in this film I never took him seriously as an actor until I saw this. He literally scared me at certain moments in the film. He brings such a realistic intensity to the role that he becomes more frightening.
Greg Kinnear is ok in this film His character suffers from lack of development as well. I'm also tired of him playing the nice guy in films. It's getting a little old. His southern accent also isn't very consistent. Kept coming in and out. It's hard for me to buy he and Katie Holmes as an item but I guess it worked for the filmmakers.
Speaking of Katie Holmes, props to her for taking on a more adult role. *SPOILER. It's not even the fact that she shows us her breasts but it's the fact that she's playing against type and does it fairly well. She has minimal screentime but she makes an impression. Especially in her final scene of the film. *END SPOILER*
Over-all I thought The Gift rose above the standard supernatural thriller. To me it's more a Character piece and fairly decent whodunit. I suggest you all see it because it's a really good film.
The film has a few faults however so I just want to get those out of the way. Some of the characters aren't developed enough so we lose interest in them quite quickly. Also the outcome is quite obvious early on in the film, so a few more twist to maybe keep the audiences guessing would've been appreciated. Other than that however we have a pretty well made picture so these minor flaws don't overshadow an otherwise brilliant production.
First and foremost this is a character driven piece lead by the incredible Cate Blanchet. She is quite the chameleon in her movies. She can go from playing Queen Elizabeth, to a southern fortune teller without skipping a beat. Her talent is something that most performers should strive for. She's very efficent in her part here. She's very likable and she makes you feel for her character.
Giovanni Ribisi is also very good in the film. He could've played it like the stereotypical crazy person but he brings something new to the role. We feel for him because he brings his struggle across so well when he's on screen.
Hillary Swank is good also but her character is majorly underdeveloped. She falls into stereotypical battered wife mode but I did like her performance. I just wish she was given more to do.
Keanu Reeves was such a shock in this film I never took him seriously as an actor until I saw this. He literally scared me at certain moments in the film. He brings such a realistic intensity to the role that he becomes more frightening.
Greg Kinnear is ok in this film His character suffers from lack of development as well. I'm also tired of him playing the nice guy in films. It's getting a little old. His southern accent also isn't very consistent. Kept coming in and out. It's hard for me to buy he and Katie Holmes as an item but I guess it worked for the filmmakers.
Speaking of Katie Holmes, props to her for taking on a more adult role. *SPOILER. It's not even the fact that she shows us her breasts but it's the fact that she's playing against type and does it fairly well. She has minimal screentime but she makes an impression. Especially in her final scene of the film. *END SPOILER*
Over-all I thought The Gift rose above the standard supernatural thriller. To me it's more a Character piece and fairly decent whodunit. I suggest you all see it because it's a really good film.