Billy Bob Thornton has been doin' it right on the right side of town for years. Ever since he grunted his way into movie lovers' hearts in Slingblade, he has consistently put out solid material. The Gift, now available in your local movie store, is further evidence of his many talents.
Thornton co-wrote and directed this thriller, which stars Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear and Keanu Reaves and Hillary Swank. As with all talented directors, Thornton has the ability to coax great performances from his actors. Blanchett, who plays a psychic in a small Louisiana swamp town who has visions of a local murder, is once again fantastic, as if we should expect any less. She is clearly one of the talented actors of our time and proves it yet again in this feature. Ribisi also furthers his reputation as one of the most talented young actors in Hollywood. He plays a troubled young man who relies on Blanchett's character for emotional support. The breakdown for his character happens when Blanchett's life falls apart, and he no longer has her to steady his psychological ship. In one of the most poweful scenes in the movie, Ribisi confronts his tormentor, and the result is a beautifully acted ten minutes of the movie that will leave you speechless.
Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear play an engaged couple, only problem being Holmes' character's penchant for sleeping with anyone within earshot of her purring southern twang. It's not long before she is strangled and left in a swamp. This forms the basis of the movie, a classic whodunit with a very surprising and shocking outcome. Swank, she of Best Actress fame, plays a toothy, abused wife, who spends most of the movie cowering from Keanu Reeves. It's a decent performance, but its still hard to shake the memory of her "acting" work on Beverly Hills 90210.
Thornton probably does his best work with Reeves. Now, we all know Keanu has a problem showing any sort of emotion on film. Frankly, there have been moments in his career when a tree might do a better job channeling anger, happiness or sadness. However, in this movie he does a fine job playing the character of the town drunk, a wife beater who is accused of the crime. It is really an exceptional performance that leaves you shaking your head, wondering why he's been hiding his obvious acting talents for so many of his movies. Ahh Keanu. . .a enigmatic mystery wrapped in a riddle.
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