Bless the Child (2000)

Cody, a little girl abandoned by her mother and raised by her aunt, a nurse, is kidnapped. The girl's guardian, aided by an F.B.I. agent, learn that Cody has supernatural abilities, and the abductees are a Satanic cult willing to do anything to gain them.

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

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

Stars:

Kim Basinger, Jimmy Smits, Rufus Sewell

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kim Basinger	...	Maggie O'Connor
Jimmy Smits	...	John Travis
Holliston Coleman	...	Cody
Rufus Sewell	...	Eric Stark
Angela Bettis	...	Jenna
Christina Ricci	...	Cheri
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:

evil man | heroine | fbi | nurse | satanic cult | 

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Taglines:

Mankind's last hope just turned six.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | 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:

Izabranica tame

Filming Locations:

Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,413,684, 13 August 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$29,374,178, 5 November 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,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

Based on the novel of the same name by Cathy Cash Spellman.

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Goofs

In the scene with the homeless man, Eric Stark recites a spell in Hebrew that is later referred to as a "Druid Rune Spell from the 16th century."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Woman on Bus: [Haitian accent] Did ya see it yet, darlin'?
Maggie O'Connor: Excuse me?
Woman on Bus: Star of Yakov. What they be callin' the Christmas star. Ain't been seen since Bethlehem. And now it's here.
Maggie O'Connor: That's nice.
Woman on Bus: Oh, yes. It's very nice. It's a good sign for all good people. Means someone special come from God. What do ya think 'bout that?
Maggie O'Connor: I don't know, I - I'm not sure I believe in that king of thing.
Woman on Bus: Oh, that don't matter. It's there if you believe or not believe. It don't care.

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Connections

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

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Soundtracks

Vultures
Composed by Philip A. Scheib (as Philip Scheib)

User Reviews

A most underrated movie, unfairly condemned by others

I have been going to the movies for 55 years now. And I have been writing novels for nearly 30 years, with 38 published thus far. One of my favorite genres as a moviegoer is the horror thriller, which is one in which I have written also, usually within a Christian context.

BLESS THE CHILD is unquestionably one of the finest genre movies I have ever seen, the kind that combine Christian themes and thriller techniques. I like it because it is relatively subdued, with sincere underplayed acting, and a minimum of Hollywood hocus-pocus.

The themes are:

1) The triumph of God over the devil, instead of the reverse. 2) The power of prayer. 3) The depiction of angels of light. 4) Brief but effective moments when demonic creatures, normally in an unseen supernatural existence, are revealed starkly. 5) No attempt to make evil seem other than loathsome, destructive. 6) Child-like faith enables us to resist Satan.

The direction by Chuck Russell was excellent, involving; no wonder he came close to directing the screen version of THIS PRESENT DARKNESS. There was almost no foul language, and the brutal episodes were less in number than usual.

I notice the Christian moments were referred to as "propaganda". Why is it propaganda when biblical references are used but not propaganda when humanism, nihilism, abortion, homosexuality, adultery and such are similarly promoted?

I showed BLESS THE CHILD to a neighbor couple, folks who are not especially religious. They were enthralled by it, reacting nervously when the suspense is intensified, rejoicing at the more inspiring moments.

BLESS THE CHILD is not a toweringly great movie but, rather, an intensely reverent one, directed with intelligence, acted with conviction, without nude scenes, and thankfully lacking a tidal wave of vulgarity,

Roger Elwood