The Gift Review

I was out of town last weekend and was thus unable to see Fantastic Four as I originally planned. After the scathing reviews I've been hearing for that movie, I decided to hold off on seeing it until I'm willing to subject myself to that kind of awfulness. All I'd been hearing about this film, The Gift, was that it was surprisingly good for a thriller released in the dog days of August and helmed by a first-time director. And it certainly was. Joel Edgerton's directorial debut is a delightful surprise in these late summer days that utilizes genre paradigms to full effect, resulting in a genuinely unsettling psychological dramatic thriller that left me guessing until the haunting finale.

The Gift centers around a young married couple named Simon and Robyn - played by Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, respectively - who have recently moved from Chicago into a suburban home in California after some unfortunate circumstances that took place in their old home. Shortly after arriving in their new house, the couple runs into a man named Gordo who claims to have known Simon from high school. After phone numbers are exchanged, Gordo begins paying them unannounced visits and is constantly showing up at their house when Simon is at work and Robyn is home alone. This concerns Simon, who concludes that Gordo simply wants to sleep with Robyn. As the past comes back to haunt everyone involved, it's clear that the situation is far more complicated than it once seemed.

The cast is largely made up of three people; Bateman, Hall, and Edgerton. They are the centerpieces of this story and all of them gave truly great performances. I was most impressed with Bateman, who I've always liked ever since his days on Arrested Development, but I've never thought of him as a great actor. The Gift is enough to change that for me. He turns in a layered performance that was constantly surprising me and makes me want to see him in more dramatic roles in the future. Rebecca Hall also gives one of the best performances I've seen from her as Simon's wife, who also has more layers than what you initially see.

Joel Edgerton plays Gordo, a socially awkward man who is ultimately set up as the antagonist of the film. He does a good job of being a little off-kilter and just downright creepy at times, but I was much more impressed with his directing and writing than I was with his acting. This is his directorial debut as I previously mentioned, but you wouldn't guess that by watching this movie. Edgerton composes and mounts his shots with a confidence you'd expect to see from a veteran director. It really was a beautifully directed film full of rich cinematography and a keen eye for detail that blew me away. Not only does he prove his directing chops, but he also penned the script, which was very well-written. Not only is the plot unpredictable and full of twists and turns, but the dialogue all feels so natural. That is a testament to the actors, but also to Edgerton's abilities as a writer.

Thanks to Edgerton's direction, the movie consistently holds an atmosphere of impending doom and general creepiness. Great thrillers can keep their audience on the edge of their seats even when seemingly nothing is happening. That stems from the suspenseful tone that permeates throughout the entire film, which never feels fake or forced like most modern horror movies. Edgerton earns his audience's investment with well-wrought characters and a well-written plot, not jump scares accompanied by a loud noise.

Those who aren't usually able to stay invested in slow burn thrillers might have some trouble with The Gift. The first couple acts certainly move along at a slow pace. I cared enough about the characters that I remained invested and entertained throughout these slow bits, but someone who isn't will find these sections of the movie to be boring. I typically appreciate thrillers that take the time to flesh out their characters rather than just throw the audience into the "exciting" parts without much development. This makes the payoff so much more effective, which can be said about The Gift.

Psychological thrillers are pretty much my favorite type of movie when they're done well. Nowadays, it's rare to find one as successful as The Gift. It seems modern thrillers are simply intent on placing a bunch of jump scares one after the other without giving a thought to their characters or to their plots. The Gift does fall into some cliches of the thriller genre, which is somewhat unavoidable. Nonetheless, I did notice these cliches and they detracted a bit from the experience. However, despite these occasionally predictable elements of The Gift, I found myself consistently surprised by it. Most of the time it feels fresh, something that thoroughly surprised me.

I'd rather not say anything more about The Gift. The trailer, which I thought had spoiled everything about the plot and effectively ruined the film as a lot of trailers seem to do nowadays, actually gave away very little of the secrets Edgerton has up his sleeve. This is definitely something worth going out to the theater to see. It was sort of as if Alfred Hitchock and David Fincher decided to make a movie together that was inspired by other films like One Hour Photo, Vertigo, and Se7en. The ending was actually very reminiscent of Se7en in terms of its gut-wrenching nature. It's not quite as shocking or mind-blowing, but I have to say it was one of the best twists I've seen in quite some time. Check this one out if you have the chance. I'll be on the lookout for Edgerton's future directorial efforts now, because this was quite a debut.

A-