Bless the Child (2000)

Omens and concepts of good vs. evil have no place in Maggie O'Connor's well-ordered, practical universe. Her life revolves around her job as a nurse at a busy New York hospital, until one ... See full summary »

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

Cathy Cash Spellman (novel), Thomas Rickman (screenplay),

Stars:

Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Holliston Coleman

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Basinger	...	Maggie O'Connor
Jimmy Smits	...	Agent John Travis
Holliston Coleman	...	Cody O'Connor
Rufus Sewell	...	Eric Stark
Angela Bettis	...	Jenna O'Connor
Christina Ricci	...	Cheri Post
Michael Gaston	...	Det. Frank Bugatti
Lumi Cavazos	...	Sister Rosa
Dimitra Arliss	...	Dahnya (as Dimitra Arlys)
Eugene Lipinski	...	Stuart
Anne Betancourt	...	Maria
Ian Holm	...	Reverend Grissom
Helen Stenborg	...	Sister Joseph
Matthew Lemche	...	New Dawn Kid at Van
Dan Warry-Smith	...	New Dawn Kid

Storyline

Omens and concepts of good vs. evil have no place in Maggie O'Connor's well-ordered, practical universe. Her life revolves around her job as a nurse at a busy New York hospital, until one rainy night, her sister Jenna abandons her newborn, autistic daughter at her home. Maggie takes the baby in, and she becomes the daughter she never had. Six years later Jenna suddenly re-appears with a mysterious new husband, Eric, and abducts Cody. Despite the fact that Maggie has no legal rights to Cody, FBI agent John Travis, an expert in ritual homicide and occult-related crime, takes up her cause when he realizes that Cody shares the same birth date as several other recently missing children. The little girl, it soon becomes clear, is more than simply "special." She manifests extraordinary powers that the forces of evil have waited centuries to control, and her abduction sparks a clash between the soldiers of good and evil that can only be resolved, in the end, by the strength of one small child...

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Plot Keywords:

omen | nurse | fbi | dead cat | bus | 

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Taglines:

Fear the Darkness. Fight the Evil. Bless the Child.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, drug content and brief language

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Filha da Luz

Filming Locations:

Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£505,468 (UK) (5 January 2001)

Gross:

ESP 447,559,152 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BTC Productions KG, Icon Entertainment International, Munich Film Partners & Company (MFP) BTC Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the original script, a character is deliberately pushed off a subway platform. This had to be changed to an accidental fall before the Toronto Transit Commission would allow filming on its property.

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Goofs

During the scene in Eric Stark's New York apartment, the Skydome (located in Toronto) can be seen in the window.

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Quotes

Bugatti: Can I ask you a personal question?
John Travis: That depends on the question.
Bugatti: There's a rumor that before you joined the precinct you were a priest.
John Travis: I was a seminary student, I didn't make it as far as priesthood.
Bugatti: Still, that is some kind of makeover. What happened?
John Travis: I found another way to fight him... Okay, ready?
Bugatti: (confused) Fight who?

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Connections

Features Leeza (1994)

User Reviews

A Good Supernatural Thriller

Maggie( Kim Basinger) is a lonely woman without a family and on one rainy day, she suddenly finds her sister jenna( Angela Bettis) who she hasn't seen in two years at her doorstep with a baby. Jenna is to worn out and can't lay off the drugs she's been using so she runs away and leaves Maggie with her baby. As slowly the years pass by, it seems that cody (Holliston Coleman) suffers from some kind of autism. Her disorder is hard to explain but it is bluntly obvious that Cody isn't like ordinary children. Meanwhile, in the neighbourhood are some horrible murders going around. Kids are being found dead in a gruesome ritual where they all have the same satanic symbol burned on their bodys. No one can explain who is doing this but when Cody becomes a target for these murders, Maggie will do anything to save her niece. I enjoyed this movie, i think the acting was very good, especially by Kim Basinger and Angela Bettis. My favorite actress Christina Ricci had only a very small part in this movie but I still enjoyed seeing her. I would give Bless The Child 8/10