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| Annie Wilson possesses the gift of psychic powers and supports herself and her family by reading the cards to neighbours who want to know what the future may hold. When the wealthy, beautiful, and sexually promiscuous Jessica King is found missing, her bound and ravaged body begins to haunt Annie through her visions. When the murder investigation becomes short on leads, the police are forced to turn to Annie's special powers for help. The supernatural becomes terrifyingly real when Annie's gift becomes her only hope to stop the killer before she becomes the next victim.
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A recently widowed mother of three young boys,
psychic Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) isn't the world's luckiest woman, earning
a meagre crust by giving readings for the local townsfolk. But events take a
more sinister turn when Valerie (Hilary Swank) arrives on the scene, clearly
showing signs of abuse at the hands of her violent husband (Keanu Reeves).
Spurred on by terrifying visions, Wilson urges Valerie to leave him.
What follows is an escalation of horror as Wilson's visions increase - and the
tortured psychic is called in to help investigate a complicated murder trial.
But is Swank's violent man the murderer? Can Annie solve the case before she,
taking her three unfortunate siblings with her, descends into insanity? And
what role does the mysterious and tormented Buddy Cole (played effortlessly by
the outstanding Giovanni Ribisi) have to play?
To steal a popular phrase from a morose DIY enthusiast, The Gift does exactly
what it says on the tin. Gothic horror of a distinctly South American flavour
blends perfectly with the ever-popular courtroom sequences and intriguing plot
twists to make a blood-curdling tale of horrific proportions.
Cate Blanchett is nothing short of superb in a role that would always be a
challenge to perform convincingly, while Keanu Reeves and the Oscar-winning
Hilary Swank are frightful and frightened respectively. Damning his critics,
Reeves is pure evil without a hint of over-acting.
And don't kid yourself into thinking that you'll suss it all out at the
beginning Not everything is as it seems - as the plot unfolds, be prepared for
some major chills. Dark, mysterious and thoroughly brilliant.
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