Many might not know this, but Australian actor Joel Edgerton has slowly been working his way behind the camera over the past 10 years. He started writing shorts, making his way to scripting features, but it wasn’t until 2015 when Edgerton decided to make his feature directorial debut with The Gift, a thrilling and mysterious film that’s become one of the biggest surprises of the year for me.
Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple who have recently moved into a new home. While doing some shopping, the two run into an odd guy named Gordo (Edgerton), a high-school acquaintance of Simon who seems excited at the prospect of starting a new friendship. Gordo begins dropping off housewarming gifts and popping by uninvited, getting to know Robyn as he attempts to reconnect with Simon. Simon wants none of this and eventually lays the smack down, severing the new “friendship.” Eventually, secrets about Simon’s past slowly start to reveal themselves and Robyn learns the truth about Simon and Gordo’s past, making her question everything she’s ever known about the man closest to her.
Offering an original story that keeps audiences on their toes, Joel Edgerton has done an excellent job crafting a film that I ended up loving. The script is wonderful and the way the film is edited and directed brings you down one path and then pulls the rug out from under you revealing a completely different one. The film plays with your mind, making you uncomfortable and unsure about who you really want to sympathize with. That difficulty in choosing a character is one of my favorite aspects of the film.
When it comes to the acting, everyone did a great job. Jason Bateman played an excellent asshole, a mean, sly, selfish asshole who knew how to work the system. There are times you can’t help but feel bad for the guy because you think people change since high school, but watching his character and seeing how he interacted with his wife was fascinating. This leads me to Rebecca Hall as Robyn, a fragile wife who has had a troubling past. She was slightly over the top at times but I thought her performance was the emotional core of the film and she did a solid job acting as the anchor for Bateman and Edgerton. While I think Edgerton’s acting can be hit or miss, he was the perfect creep. SPOILER ALERT Reserved, troubled, and clearly damaged, his transition from victim to prey was so smooth it was almost unbelievable and certainly one of the highlights of the film.
I went into this movie knowing very little about it. I had seen the trailer many months prior and that was it. Upon reaching the climax of the film I realized this was a long-con revenge thriller, and an awesome one at that. Long con films are usually reserved for heists and I loved that Edgerton gave Simon’s character a chance before sending Gordo’s revenge in motion. It was absolutely brilliant. END SPOILER
Overall, The Gift is one of the biggest surprises of 2015. It wowed me in more ways than one and, what’s more, it’s an original story, something I’ve come to truly appreciate in an era jam packed with sequels and reboots. If you’re looking for a tense movie that’ll keep you guessing and that’ll take you for a ride, The Gift is a movie worth seeking out. There’s no doubt in my mind that the majority of people that watch it are going to really like it.
Special Features:
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted Scenes
- Karma for Bullies
- The Darker Side of Jason Bateman
- Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Joel Edgerton
The Gift is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. It was released theatrically by newcomer STX Entertainment.
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