‘The Gift’ Is the Best Sam Raimi Film You’ve Never Seen
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Today on The Overlooked Motel, we are talking about The Gift. No, not the one with Jason Bateman. The film up for discussion today is a forgotten horror thriller from the year 2000 directed by the legendary Sam Raimi. The flick boasts an absolutely unreal talent roster. Raimi directs from a script penned by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson. And the cast is a veritable who’s who of Oscar winners and A-listers. Though the flick is slightly formulaic and the pace meanders a bit, the film more than makes up for any shortcomings with a tense atmosphere, powerhouse performances, and a strong emotional core.
What is The Gift about?
The film follows Annie (Cate Blanchett), a single mother of three who makes ends meet working as a fortune teller. When Jessica (Katie Holmes), the daughter of a prominent businessman, turns up dead Annie begins having visions about Jessica’s untimely death. Her premonitions lead law enforcement to Jessica’s body and even point to a potential suspect. Though the presumed killer is in custody, Annie starts to wonder if she’s led the police to the wrong man. With the true killer potentially at large, Annie worries she may still be in grave danger.
With an A-list cast and a legendary director, it’s surprising that The Gift isn’t more celebrated by the masses. Upon release, the flick narrowly recouped its budget at the box office before ultimately fading into semi-obscurity. I have at least one guess as to why. I think the marketing is largely to blame. The flick was positioned more as a psychological thriller. However, The Gift is a proper horror movie. It’s atmospheric, occasionally brutal, and quite terrifying at times. But that should come as no surprise to anyone even remotely familiar with Sam Raimi’s output.
Human nature proves utterly terrifying in The Gift.
What sets The Gift apart from a lot of Raimi’s other work is that the monsters here are very much human. That’s a curious juxtaposition because this is a supernatural horror film. Yet, the real horror comes from the evils men do. That’s a somewhat unexpected take that makes up for the film’s sometimes formulaic storyline.
The characters, good, bad, and in between are well-developed and quickly pull us into their twisted world. The cast features no less than three Oscar winners in Cate Blanchett, Hillary Swank, and J.K. Simmons. It’s quite nice to see so many talented thespians under the same roof.
Not only is the film’s leading lady outstanding, but so is the rest of the cast.
Not surprisingly, Cate Blanchett is exceptional as Annie. The character is well-rendered on the page and Blanchett brings her to life as a sympathetic lead. The actress is almost unrecognizable as she fully transforms into her character, a fragile, yet brave woman trying to keep a roof over her children’s heads while quietly losing the battle against her inner demons.
Her status as a single mother underscores the character’s vulnerability. She’s navigating a horrifying ordeal without a support system or anyone to lean on. That distinction amplifies the intensity of some of the more precarious situations in which she finds herself. Her resilience, empathy, and sense of justice make her a compelling lead with more emotional depth than you might expect.
A stable of talented actors round out the supporting cast and everyone involved brings their A-game. The Gift features exceptional performances from almost every key player. One standout example is Keanu Reeves as accused killer Donnie Barksdale. The beloved actor makes the character properly terrifying. It’s great to see him tackle such a nasty role here. Reeves often gets typecast as an easygoing nice guy, a lovable meathead, or a law enforcement type. This is a definite departure from the sort of characters he’s best known for playing and I’m here for it. His brooding mannerisms and his hair-trigger temper are profoundly unnerving. Donnie is pure evil in human form.
Giovanni Ribisi is the other standout among the supporting players. He turns in a textured showing where we see his best intentions thwarted by his unpredictable nature, which is informed by unprocessed trauma. The actor is wholly convincing as an unhinged auto mechanic, effortlessly pivoting from gentle to terrifying at a moment’s notice.
The film’s faults are more than outweighed by what works well.
Despite the picture’s numerous strengths, it does have some issues. Accordingly, I want to give you a heads-up regarding what doesn’t work quite as well. There are some minor pacing problems. The courtroom scenes in the second act slow the proceedings down a bit too much for my liking. They also muddle the tonality a bit, making The Gift feel a little like a supernatural thriller in the first and third acts and a courtroom drama in the second. I wish the trial scenes were condensed or edited a bit more tightly.
With that said, my qualms are very minor and I’m more than willing to overlook any shortcomings based on strong performances from a gifted cast and the picture’s impressive emotional core. Not to mention, Sam Raimi crafts some profoundly intense exchanges sure to make you jump out of your seat.
On the whole, The Gift is scary, suspenseful, and engaging. The picture is well worth seeking out. If you haven’t yet experienced it, you’re in for a treat.
If you are eager to track the picture down, you can find it available on physical media or as a digital rental as of the publication of this post. For maximum effect, watch The Gift when you’re home alone late at night with all of the lights off.
That’s all for this installment of The Overlooked Motel. If you would like to chat more about under-seen and underrated films, feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter, Threads, or Instagram.
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