Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett) is psychic. While supernatural films can’t always be giallo, psychic abilities are generally alright, as seen by the inclusion of Fulci’s film of the same name. There are so many rules. Anyway, she mainly uses her powers to help people who have a rougher life than she and her three children, like Buddy (Giovanni Ribisi) and Valerie (Hilary Swank), whose abusive husband Donnie (Keanu Reeves) has threatened Annie’s life after she advises Valerie to leave him. 

Jessica King (Katie Holmes) has disappeared. The fiancée of school principal Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear), she comes to Annie in a vision, telling her that she’s in a pond on Donnie’s property. The dream or message or whatever you believe is true, as Donnie is soon arrested. That night, Buddy, who has been upset about this murder, keeps trying to connect to Annie, who is overwhelmed by the body being found. He goes home and ties his father to a chair, setting him on fire in return for abusing him as a child.

The visions continue, as Annie believes Donnie is innocent and loved Jessica, with whom he was having an affair. She asks prosecutor David Duncan (Gary Cole) to reopen the case; he refuses, and she reminds him that she knows that he also had an affair with Jessica. This feels like Rome in the 70s, not Georgia; it’s just missing fashion, black gloves, and a better soundtrack. Actually, the Christopher Young score is good, but maybe some Morricone?

So who did it? Can Annie’s powers save her life and find the real killer? Written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson before Sling Blade, Thornton based this on his mother’s real psychic abilities. It’s directed by Sam Raimi, who knows a little bit about suspense. Of course, Annie drives the car that is in every one of Raimi’s films, a Delta 88 Oldsmobile.