| Photos (see all 51 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 5) |
| Cate Blanchett | ... | Annabelle 'Annie' Wilson | |
| Giovanni Ribisi | ... | Buddy Cole | |
| Keanu Reeves | ... | Donnie Barksdale | |
| Katie Holmes | ... | Jessica King | |
| Greg Kinnear | ... | Wayne Collins | |
| Hilary Swank | ... | Valerie Barksdale | |
| Michael Jeter | ... | Gerald Weems | |
| Kim Dickens | ... | Linda | |
| Gary Cole | ... | David Duncan | |
| Rosemary Harris | ... | Annie's Granny | |
| J.K. Simmons | ... | Sheriff Pearl Johnson | |
| Chelcie Ross | ... | Kenneth King | |
| John Beasley | ... | Albert Hawkins | |
| Lynnsee Provence | ... | Mike Wilson | |
| Hunter McGilvray | ... | Miller Wilson | |
| Nathan Lee Lewis | ... | Cornelius (as Nathan Lewis) | |
| Benjamin Peacock | ... | Tommy | |
| Clay James | ... | Stanley | |
| David Brannen | ... | Ben Wilson | |
| Russ Comegys | ... | Ben Sr. (as Russell Durham Comegys) | |
| Janell McLeod | ... | Mrs. Francis | |
| Robby Preddy | ... | Lady #2 | |
| Lucky Lawrence | ... | Member of The Souvenirs Band / Handsome Man at Bar | |
| Mo | ... | Member of The Souvenirs Band | |
| Boots Kutz | ... | Member of The Souvenirs Band | |
| Buck Edwards | ... | Member of The Souvenirs Band | |
| D.J. Pawlak | ... | Member of The Souvenirs Band | |
| Kipp Chambers | ... | Boy at Dance | |
| Dallas Johnson | ... | Dallas | |
| Stuart Greer | ... | Officer Huggins | |
| Jeff Bragg | ... | Jed Barksdale | |
| Danny Elfman | ... | Tommy Lee Ballard | |
| S.D. Stephens | ... | Deputy on Shore | |
| Samuel E. Parlin Jr. | ... | Deputy in Boat | |
| Ed Reddick | ... | Judge | |
| Rebecca Koon | ... | Buddy's Mother | |
| Erik Cord | ... | Buddy's Father | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Cameron Beach | ... | Enforcer for the Barksdales (uncredited) | |
| Sam Edens | ... | Member of Barksdale Clan (uncredited) | |
| Earl Maddox | ... | Barksdale (uncredited) | |
| Ray Wineteer | ... | Juror (uncredited) | |
| Yvetta Young | ... | Family Friend (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Sam Raimi | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Billy Bob Thornton | (written by) & | |
| Tom Epperson | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Grant Curtis | .... | associate producer | |
| Sean Daniel | .... | executive producer | |
| Gregory Goodman | .... | executive producer | |
| James Jacks | .... | producer | |
| Gary Lucchesi | .... | producer | |
| Tom Rosenberg | .... | producer | |
| Ted Tannebaum | .... | executive producer | |
| Robert G. Tapert | .... | executive producer (as Rob Tapert) | |
| Richard S. Wright | .... | co-producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Christopher Young | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Jamie Anderson | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Arthur Coburn | |||
| Bob Murawski | |||
Casting by | |||
| Deborah Aquila | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Neil Spisak | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Marthe Pineau | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Julie Weiss | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Kelly Jefferson | .... | assistant makeup artist (as Kelley Gore Jefferson) | |
| Emanuel Millar | .... | hair styling designer (as Manny Millar) | |
| Morag Ross | .... | makeup artist: Ms. Blanchett | |
| Morag Ross | .... | supervising makeup artist | |
| Monty Schuth | .... | assistant hair stylist | |
| Jeff Goodwin | .... | special makeup effects artist (uncredited) | |
| Chris Varosky | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Mary Courtney | .... | production supervisor (as Mary J. Courtney) | |
| Gregory Goodman | .... | unit production manager | |
| James McQuaide | .... | post-production supervisor | |
| Richard S. Wright | .... | unit production manager (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| C. Scott Baker | .... | assistant art director | |
| David Becton | .... | greensperson | |
| Erin Fite | .... | art department coordinator | |
| Patrick Fuhrman | .... | set dresser | |
| Gloria Ann 'Twinkle' Groover | .... | greensperson | |
| Stephanie Kern | .... | paint foreperson | |
| Andy Krish | .... | lead person | |
| Martin Lasowitz | .... | property master | |
| Scott A. Lawson | .... | set dresser (as Scott Lawson) | |
| Rebecca Leonard | .... | paint foreperson | |
| Jeffrey Lynch | .... | conceptual artist | |
| Jeffrey Lynch | .... | storyboard artist | |
| Thomas Michael Ryan | .... | general foreperson (as Michael Ryan) | |
| Jeffrey Schlatter | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Martin Smith | .... | greensperson | |
| David Stephan | .... | storyboard artist | |
| Drew Sywanyk | .... | on-set dresser | |
| Jess Tucker | .... | set dressing buyer | |
| Angie Woodard | .... | property assistant | |
| Michael Zadresny | .... | assistant property master (as Mike Zadrosny) | |
| Susan Dennis | .... | assistant property buyer (uncredited) | |
| J. Luther Jones III | .... | carpenter (uncredited) | |
| Stephanie Macomber Kern | .... | stand-by painter (uncredited) | |
| William Scot Noonan | .... | propmaker (uncredited) | |
| Scott D. Warner | .... | propmaker (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Mark Allen | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Robert Batha | .... | first assistant sound editor | |
| Kelly Cabral | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| C. Douglas Cameron | .... | boom operator | |
| Kerry Ann Carmean | .... | sound effects editor (as Kerry Carmean) | |
| Mark Choi | .... | adr editor (as Mark Hushik Choi) | |
| Valerie Davidson | .... | foley editor | |
| Robert Fernandez | .... | sound mixing engineer | |
| Robert Fernandez | .... | sound recording engineer | |
| Paul Flinchbaugh | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Nerses Gezalyan | .... | foley mixer | |
| Kimaree Long | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Gerard K. Marino | .... | additional sound recordist | |
| James Moriana | .... | foley artist (as Jimmy Moriana) | |
| Ed Novick | .... | production sound mixer | |
| Kelly Oxford | .... | adr editor | |
| Andy Potvin | .... | stereo sound consultant: Dolby | |
| Michael Rayle | .... | cable person | |
| Brad Sherman | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Melissa Sherwood Hofmann | .... | sound re-recording mixer (as Melissa S. Hofmann) | |
| Steve Smith | .... | assistant sound engineer | |
| Lauren Stephens | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Jon Title | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Drew Webster | .... | digital sound mix technician | |
| Jeffrey Wilhoit | .... | foley artist (as Jeff Wilhoit) | |
| Greg Zimmerman | .... | foley recordist | |
| Brian Basham | .... | adr recordist (uncredited) | |
| Kimaree Long | .... | adr editor (uncredited) | |
| Jeff Toyne | .... | additional sound recordist (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Michelle Crawford | .... | special effects laborer | |
| Vern Hyde | .... | special effects coordinator | |
| Scott Mobley | .... | special effects technician | |
| Lisa Reynolds | .... | special effects foreperson | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Kelly G. Crawford | .... | editor: Illusion Arts Inc. | |
| Peter Donen | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Syd Dutton | .... | visual effects supervisor: Illusion Arts Inc. | |
| David Dwiggins | .... | effects photography supervisor | |
| Fumi Mashimo | .... | animator: Illusion Arts Inc. (as Fumi Mashimo) | |
| Kelvin McIlwain | .... | matte artist: Illusion Arts Inc. | |
| Kenneth Nakada | .... | matte artist: Illusion Arts Inc. | |
| Henric Nieminen | .... | effects photography coordinatior (as Heinric Niemenin) | |
| Catherine Sudolcan | .... | producer: Illusion Arts | |
| Bill Taylor | .... | visual effects: Illusion Arts Inc. | |
| Mike Wassel | .... | matte artist: Illusion Arts Inc. (as Michael Wassel) | |
| David S. Williams Jr. | .... | lead compositor: Illusion Arts Inc. | |
| Chris Crowell | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
| Ken Dackermann | .... | digital compositor (uncredited) | |
| Jim Pearson | .... | underwater coordinator (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Gregory Brunkalla | .... | stunts | |
| James M. Churchman | .... | stunts (as Jim Churchman) | |
| Kathy Dicker | .... | stunts | |
| Christina Ritzi | .... | stunts | |
| Steve Ritzi | .... | stunts | |
| Ramsey Scott | .... | stunts | |
| Brandon Sebek | .... | stunts | |
| Mark Stefanich | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Chad Stahelski | .... | stunts (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Leigh French | .... | voice casting | |
| Shay Griffin | .... | location casting (as Shay Bentley-Griffin) | |
| Dianne Lynn | .... | location casting | |
| Melissa Maxfield | .... | location casting | |
| Kelly O'Brien | .... | casting assistant | |
| Cristi Rickey | .... | extras casting coordinator | |
| Mary Tricia Wood | .... | casting associate (as Tricia Wood) | |
| Chad Darnell | .... | location casting assistant (uncredited) | |
| David Pollison | .... | casting associate (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Layne Brightwell | .... | supervising costumer (as Layne Brightwell-Werner) | |
| Dorothy Masters | .... | costumer | |
| Dorothy Masters | .... | seamstress | |
| Wendy Moynihan | .... | costumer | |
| Hope Slepak | .... | costume supervisor (as Hope B. Slepak) | |
| Sanford Slepak | .... | assistant costume designer (as Sandy Slepak) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Winnie Cheng | .... | post-production coordinator | |
| Catherine L. Cusimano | .... | assistant editor (as Catherine Cusimano) | |
| Paul Hart | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Phil Hetos | .... | color timer | |
| Peter Kwong | .... | apprentice editor | |
| Michael Rafferty | .... | first assistant editor (as Mike Rafferty) | |
| Theresa Repola Mohammed | .... | negative cutter | |
| Ewa Zbroniec | .... | assistant editor | |
| Harry Muller | .... | color timer (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Robert Fernandez | .... | scoring mixer | |
| Andrew Hausmann | .... | score coordinator | |
| Tanya Noel Hill | .... | music editor | |
| Chris Innis | .... | music editor | |
| Simon James | .... | music contractor | |
| Derrick Lefebvre | .... | score coordinator | |
| Christopher S. Parker | .... | music coordinator | |
| Robert Puff | .... | music preparation | |
| Jasper Randall | .... | scoring coordinator | |
| Adam Stern | .... | conductor | |
| Paul S. Henning | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| Bill Liston | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
| Flavio Motalla | .... | score producer (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Cindy Parker | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| J.L. Parker | .... | transportation captain | |
| Robert Ballentine | .... | transportation (uncredited) | |
| Christie Chaplin | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
| Chuck Graydon | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Kather Alcorn | .... | production assistant | |
| Brad Banks | .... | electrical technician | |
| Samantha Barker | .... | synthesizer coordinator | |
| Steven Bernstein | .... | production assistant | |
| Steve Cainas | .... | production coordinator | |
| Dan Callahan | .... | production assistant | |
| Kathleen Callahan | .... | craft service (as Kathleen 'Kat' Callahan) | |
| Dan Carter | .... | location projectionist | |
| Gina Cascino | .... | location manager | |
| Julie Cummings | .... | production assistant | |
| Renee Derossett | .... | animal handler: "Butch" | |
| Anna Downing | .... | production auditor | |
| Tom Fendley | .... | electrical technician | |
| Billy Fields | .... | medic | |
| Julie Ford | .... | production assistant | |
| Clinton Lee Futch Jr. | .... | production assistant (as Lee Futch Jr.) | |
| Jillian Gallant | .... | production assistant | |
| Karen Golden | .... | script supervisor | |
| Grant Grabowski | .... | production coordinator: Lakeshore Entertainment | |
| Douglas Hansen | .... | production financing | |
| J. Cindy Hill | .... | assistant: Mr. Goodman and Mr. Jacks | |
| Stephanie Huntsinger | .... | auditor | |
| Calise Kerns | .... | production assistant | |
| Tatiana Komlos | .... | assistant production coordinator | |
| Douglas Leme | .... | production assistant | |
| Jordan Lewis | .... | production assistant | |
| Jeffrey Lynch | .... | creative supervisor: second unit (as Jeffery Lynch) | |
| Gerard K. Marino | .... | synthesizer programmer | |
| Shane Meador | .... | production assistant | |
| Michael Mendelsohn | .... | financial consultant: Patriot Advisors | |
| Carla Meyer | .... | dialect coach | |
| Brian Keith Miller | .... | assistant location manager (as B.K. Miller) | |
| David Muscatine | .... | first assistant auditor | |
| Ben Noble | .... | electrical technician | |
| Colleen Nybo | .... | post-production auditor | |
| Leigh Oblinger | .... | unit publicist | |
| Ed O'Briant | .... | electrical technician | |
| Willow Reed | .... | assistant: Mr. Rosenberg | |
| Renee Rigenhagen | .... | assistant: Mr. Rosenberg | |
| Mike Satterfield | .... | electrical technician | |
| Brandon Schiffman | .... | production assistant | |
| Bryen Shannon | .... | production assistant | |
| Brian Sheil | .... | production assistant | |
| Jerrell Skinner | .... | assistant production coordinator | |
| Anja Stadelmann | .... | supervisor: second unit | |
| A. Jon Stitch | .... | assistant synthesizer coordinator | |
| Jeff Tapert | .... | craft service | |
| Jerri Whiteman | .... | auditor | |
| Bob Williams | .... | electrical technician (as Robert Williams) | |
| Amy Denning Winfrey | .... | auditor | |
| Joseph Woolf | .... | production financing | |
| Andrew J. Young | .... | location scout (as Andy Young) | |
| Bill Gula | .... | photosonics operator (uncredited) | |
| Michael J. Harker | .... | completion bond representative (uncredited) | |
| Shanda Lee Munson | .... | photo double: Katie Holmes (uncredited) | |
| Todd Peterson | .... | stand-in: Keanu Reeves (uncredited) | |
| Senia Phillips | .... | animal trainer: dogs (uncredited) | |
| Chad Stahelski | .... | stand-in: Keanu Reeves (uncredited) | |
| Ty Warren | .... | assistant: Sean Daniel (uncredited) | |
| Amy Denning Winfrey | .... | payroll accountant (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| Peter Afterman | .... | thanks | |
| Robert L. Benun | .... | thanks | |
| Sue Binder | .... | thanks | |
| Andrew Boyd | .... | thanks | |
| Christine Buckley | .... | thanks | |
| Robert Burke | .... | thanks | |
| John Edward | .... | thanks | |
| Jim Goodkind | .... | thanks | |
| Virginia Longmuir | .... | thanks | |
| Klein Mayes | .... | thanks | |
| David Pollison | .... | thanks | |
| Dr. W.R. Portee | .... | thanks | |
| Jay M. Self | .... | thanks: Savannah Film Commission (as Jay Self) | |
| Rhooby Sue | .... | thanks | |
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In a small town deep in the South, a single mother endowed with a special ability becomes involved with the disappearance of a young woman and has a brush with the supernatural, in `The Gift,' directed by Sam Raimi. Cate Blanchett stars as Annie Wilson, a young widow attempting to raise her three kids and provide a decent life for her family, scraping out a living on Social Security since the tragic death of her husband in a work related accident the previous year. She supplements her meager income by doing `readings' for the local townsfolk, accepting their donations for the insights she offers them into their own lives. Annie has a `gift,' the ability to see certain things in the cards that enables her to advise her clients about personal issues. It's something she can't explain; she knows only that it's inherited (which she learned from her grandmother), and that it's real. And though it's helped her maintain her home, she soon finds that it doesn't always make for the most pleasant of situations, as when she must advise a young woman, Valerie Barksdale (Hilary Swank), on how to cope with her abusive husband, Donnie (Keanu Reeves), or attempt to help a troubled young man, Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi) come to terms with some sensitive aspects of his life. Then, when a client comes to her to ask for help when his daughter disappears, not only does it take her to the dark side of the human experience, she discovers that certain individuals, including local sheriff Pearl Johnson (J.K. Simmons) do not believe that her `gift' is real.
Stylistically crafted and delivered, Raimi's film will keep you engrossed and on the edge of your seat until the very end. He successfully blends reality with just a touch of the supernatural that makes for riveting suspense while keeping it within the realm of believability. The relationship played out between Donnie and Valerie is anything but unique-- you've seen this before, many times in many films-- but within the context of this story it's fresh and it works. The doubtful sheriff and the cynical, jaded defense attorney, Gerald Weems (Michael Jeter), are fairly stereotypical, but that can be easily overlooked in light of the overall story and especially due to the credibility of the Annie character, which is well developed and never presented as anything beyond what can be readily accepted as true to life. As the central character, Annie anchors the film and enables the circumstances in which she is involved to be perceived as real; it's the strength of the film, and it's what makes it all work so well.
What also makes it work is the strong performance by Cate Blanchett, who makes Annie so real and accessible, displaying her `gift' with restraint and avoiding the possible pitfall of taking it too far over the edge, which could easily have made it suspect. Instead, she brings a depth to the character that draws you into her world and allows you to empathize with her, which would have been impossible had she invested Annie with even a touch of the charlatan. With consummate skill, Blanchett creates a well rounded character which demonstrates that as an actor, she definitely has a very real `gift' of her own.
Ribisi also does a memorable turn as Buddy, with a striking performance in which he creates some disturbing moments that are almost painful to watch; his is a character study of a soul in distress, seeking solace and resolution, and even as he attempts to sort out his life, you are able to sympathize with his plight as you share Buddy's experiences. And it's through Buddy (as well as Annie, of course), that the audience is able to make that necessary and very real connection with the film. With films like `Saving Private Ryan' and now this one, Ribisi is on his way to establishing himself as one of the premiere character actors in the business today.
Playing somewhat against type, Reeves proves that he can be a good `bad' guy, giving possibly one of his best performances ever as Donnie. He very credibly conveys that sense of explosiveness lying just beneath the surface that makes his character menacing and dark, which in turn makes Donnie psychologically as well as physically threatening. It's a good job by Reeves, who deserves credit for taking on a role that is so disagreeable and insensitive.
The supporting cast includes Greg Kinnear (Wayne), Katie Holmes (Jessica), Kim Dickens (Linda), Gary Cole (David) and Rosemary Harris (Annie's Granny). A taut thriller that is emotionally involving, `The Gift' delivers what it promises early on, which is exceptional, as many films of this nature often fail to actually follow through after a tremendous opening act. Rest assured, this one does and has it all; suspense, credibility and some memorable moments, all courtesy of Raimi, a good story and a superb cast. And that's the magic of the movies. I rate this one 9/10.