Keanu Reeves is one of the world’s most beloved action stars, which is why people are always a little shocked when they see his menacing performance as Donnie Barksdale in Sam RaimiX Present. Released in 2000, this supernatural thriller features a host of up-and-coming actors, including Cate Blanchett, Katie HolmesAnd Hillary Swankbut the biggest surprise in the film was Reeves.

Hot on the heels of his starring role in Matrix, Reeves’ performance as the abusive husband of Swank’s heroine, Valerie, is equal parts gruesome and disgusting. He’s such a terrible person here, it’s even more fun to watch Reeves play against type. Bye Present this is a super underrated film on almost every front, with Keanu Reeves’ performance as Barksdale in particular deserving of more credit in his filmography than he gets.

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What is “Gift” about?

Keanu Reeves in The Gift
Image via Paramount Pictures

Present supernatural thriller directed by Sam Raimi, released in 2000. Set in a small town in Georgia, the film follows Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett), an ESP fortune teller who contacts the local police to help solve a murder. happening. This is a fantastic example of small thrillers that are rarely made these days. Its simple supernatural elements are never complicated by silly computer-generated monster scenes or interactions with forces outside of our world, as in other Raimi films.

Annie’s psychic abilities are simply a means to see the invisible, whether it be the location of a body or the hidden activities of a particular character. The film features a huge number of actors who have become big players today, such as the previously mentioned Cate Blanchett and Katie Holmes, but also J.K. Simmons And Giovanni Ribisi. The most amazing thing is that it is Keanu Reeves who brings a lot of thrills in this movie.

Before The Gift, Keanu Reeves Was a Tough Guy

Keanu Reeves in The Gift
Image via Paramount Pictures

Before PresentKeanu Reeves established himself as an action, drama and comedy star in the 80s and 90s. The guy was strong enough to do it all. WITH Bill and Ted movie, Speed, My personal state of IdahoAnd Matrix by his name, Reeves was considered one of the prettiest faces in the business, a sentiment that continues to this day. He continued his fame as a tough action movie with John Wick series of films, on talk shows and red carpets, he is seen as a peaceful and kind person, and he even appeared in Spongebob the Movie: Sponge on the Run like a tumbleweed named Sage. This guy is as cool as they are, which makes his role in Present such a fun turn of events for new viewers.

Keanu Reeves is surprisingly great in The Gifts

IN Present, Reeves plays Donnie Barksdale, Valerie Barksdale’s abusive husband. Unlike the person who plays him, Donnie is not a very nice guy. Every time you’ve seen Reeves haunt, he’s the guy you follow. Not only does he make his wife unhappy, but he gives everyone in the room a terrible time. Donnie is especially angry with Annie after she advised his wife Valerie to leave him. Things take a turn for the worse for Annie when Donnie becomes the number one suspect in a local murder case. Early in the film, Annie has a vision that the body of Jessica King (Katie Holmes) is at the bottom of a pond in the Barksdale yard, so the police are sent to investigate. Her vision turns out to be true, Barksdale is arrested and a full murder case is opened. It is revealed later in the film that Barksdale is innocent, but given his character’s history, he is the main scapegoat for the crime.

Keanu Reeves is ruthless in this movie. He is just as easy to hate as they are. This is best illustrated by the scene in which his wife Valerie comes to Annie’s house to tell her that she can’t bring herself to leave Donnie. Annie explains to Valerie that he will only continue to abuse her if she stays, but she doesn’t listen. As Annie tries to explain this to Valerie, Donnie can be heard calling out his wife’s name in the other room. He bursts into the room, threatens Annie, throws the table up in the air, and starts pushing and hitting Valerie until she leaves. He even drags her out of the house by her hair! This is not your typical Keanu, Donnie is a bad guy. It’s an incredibly tense and terrifying scene, made all the more spectacular by how physically strong the actor Reeves is. He is such a massive reservoir of presence that it will make viewers everywhere tense up every time he gets close to someone.

While Barksdale is a huge monster, Reeves also has more room to play the role of a quietly evil character. At one point in the film, Barksdale shows up at Annie’s house late at night. He says he’s here to see her about his wife, but as soon as she lets him talk, he makes it clear that it’s more about Annie than anything else. He knows that Valerie comes to see her about his behavior and accuses Annie of stuffing his wife’s head with lies. Things get weird and oddly more menacing when Barksdale pulls out the voodoo doll, telling Annie that he will use it on her if this continues. To top it off, Donnie even passively threatens Annie’s two kids when they enter the room. She kicks him out, but not after a final vague warning from Donnie. Reeves is not understated in this scene as he is known for delivering his lines charmingly with little energy. Here he puts on a strong “don’t push me over the edge” type of game that feels like he’s really about to break, and if he does, it won’t be good.

Keanu Reeves might not be the best part Present, but his move to playing against type was the biggest surprise. He is great in the film, doing a job that should be kept up in more conversations when discussing his career. Yes, everyone knows that Keanu is a funny character and that he is also surprisingly good at comedies, but his skills as a dramatic actor are too little used. Let’s hope more people catch it Present and that, moving forward, he has a little more room to break the mold in which he was created.