Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Gift Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 13, 2022

Sam Raimi's "The Gift" (2000) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new program with composer Christopher Young; exclusive new audio commentary by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth; archival featurettes; promotional material; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I asked a lady that can predict your future while reading tarot cards whether all of her clients believed her. If they don’t believe me, they shouldn’t seek my services, she replied. Her answer made perfect sense to me. You wouldn’t spend your money betting on horse races if you didn’t believe that you can win, would you?

I have always believed that there are genuine fortune tellers. Why? Because we are not created equal. I recently read an article about a Croatian man that could hold his breath underwater for almost twenty-five minutes. He is in the Guinness Book of Records now. I have seen videos online in which an Asian man would heal all kinds of internal diseases simply by using the magnetic energy his body channels through his hands. The world is full of interesting people and some have skills, or gifts, that the rest of us don’t. I am convinced that fortunetelling is one of these gifts.

In Sam Raimi’s film The Gift, Cate Blanchett plays Annabelle Wilson, a fortune teller who lives in a small town somewhere in the South. She has lost her husband in an awful accident and now makes ends meet with the tiny ‘donations’ her clients leave her. She sees them at her tiny house, where she lives with her three boys.

When the soon-to-be-married Jessica King (Katie Holmes) suddenly goes missing and the local authorities struggle to solve her disappearance, Sheriff Pearl Johnson (J.K. Simmons) and the girl’s father (Chelcie Ross) come knocking on Wilson’s door. The former does not believe in the hocus pocus Wilson engages in, but the latter is willing to use her services to track down his missing daughter. Shortly after, Wilson offers a few leads and the girl’s cold body is discovered in a large pond on the property of Donnie Barksdale (Keanu Reeves), a notorious troublemaker. Barksdale is promptly arrested, tried in court, and thanks to the talented attorney David Duncan (Gary Cole) found guilty and placed behind bars.

But soon after the trial, Wilson has visions that help her conclude that the girl’s killer is still on the loose. After she meets her heartbroken fiancé, Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear), she decides to force Duncan to reopen the case and do whatever is necessary to exonerate Barksdale while the real killer is hunted by the authorities.

Anyone with a fair experience of viewing thrillers that work hard to produce good curveballs will quickly figure out the type of misdirection game that is played in Raimi’s The Gift. This does not mean that there aren’t any good surprises, but the nature of the misdirection game is easily predictable.

Nevertheless, The Gift is a fine film with some very solid performances that ensure a good time for the viewer. Blanchett leads with a deceivingly casual authority that is crucial for the desired suspenseful atmosphere, but Reeves, Kinnear, and even Simmons are wonderful as well. There are key contributions from Giovanni Ribisi and Hilary Swank, too, though the former’s miserable mechanic occasionally begins to look a lot like the clumsy ‘undercover cop’ from The Mod Squad.

Raimi’s occasional forays into the dark corners of Southern gothic horror are the only problematic material because they spice up the film in a way that just does not feel right. Indeed, Blanchett’s facial expressions while she sees what no one else does are far spookier, plus the seemingly random sounds and noises that pop up around her are pretty effective as well.

The Gift Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.86:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Gift arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master whose limitations show in all major areas that we address in our reviews. For example, even though there are no traces of problematic digital corrections, there is a general flatness on the visuals that is common for video content, not organic film content. So, delineation and clarity are very rarely adequate, while depth is almost always underwhelming. In many darker areas the dynamic range of the visuals quite simply isn't right as well. Colors are stable, but this is another area where major improvements are needed so that the overall balance is right. Image stability is good. There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Gift Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I thought that it was excellent, never revealing signs of ageing. In fact, I was quite surprised that it is as good as it is because in the video department there is a lot of room for meaningful improvements. Can the audio sound even better? Well, if Same Raimi was involved in a brand new makeover, with the sound mixer contributing as well, you never know. But at the moment, I think that the lossless track does everything that it needs to do to recreate the native qualities of the original soundtrack.

The Gift Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this exclusive new audio commentary, critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth discuss in great detail the production and stylistic identity of The Gift, the Southern ambience of the film, Sam Raimi's career and image, etc.

• The Gift: Creating the Score - in this exclusive new interview, composer Christopher Young discusses the early stages of his career in the film industry, his approach to scoring The Gift, and how the music recreates the unique ambience of the American South in the film. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• The Gift: A Look Inside - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the conception and production of The Gift. Included in are clips from archival interviews with director Sam Raimi, Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves, and Giovanni Ribisi, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Theatrical Trailer - a vintage theatrical trailer for The Gift. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spots - four vintage TV spot for The Gift. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Promotional Interviews - a gallery of archival promotional interviews with director Sam Raimi and cast members addressing their involvement with The Gift. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Cate Blanchett. (4 min).
  2. Keanu Reeves. (3 min).
  3. Giovanni Ribisi. (3 min).
  4. Sam Raimi. (7 min).
  5. World premiere. (5 min).

• Production Featurettes - presented here are three archival featurettes that focus on the production of The Gift. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. The Actors. (6 min).
  2. Director Sam Raimi. (4 min).
  3. Promotional short. (8 min).

The Gift Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

At least on this site, most viewers will very quickly solve the mystery that is at the center of Sam Raimi's thriller The Gift. The crucial clues are there to be seen, so trained eyes will recognize them, and the rest is too easy. But The Gift is still a very entertaining film because there are a lot of really good actors in it working very well together. I think that the end product could have been even better without the horror material that sneaks in simply because the mind's ability to imagine the scary always overshadows what a film camera can reveal, but what Raimi did was essentially unavoidable because visually it makes his film quite attractive. Via Vision Entertainment's release of The Gift is sourced from an older and pretty shaky master that was supplied by Paramount. However, it has a good mix of exclusive new and archival bonus features.