Good people deserve good things.
✯✯✯✯ 1/2
Be sure your sin will find you out. -Numbers 32:23 (KJV)
Joel Edgerton's The Gift came completely out of left field for me. The marketing for this film was minimal, and I had little to no idea who this guy really was. The one thing that really made me want to watch this was the presence of Jason Bateman (whom I recognize from Arrested Development), and the suspense of a presumed "twist" really built up my excitement to see this.
The first 45 minutes or so aren't really anything special, and I really wasn't feeling particularly positive about this film's outcome. However, soon afterwards the film took a complete nosedive and put me on a thrilling roller coaster of twists and turns that build and build until the end, which made the end product completely shatter my meager expectations.
Jason Bateman in particular gives an outstanding performance as Simon, the main character. Right from the start, I could tell there was something off-kilter about him. Just the way he talks and treats his wife, and the way that he speaks about his highschool friend Gordo all seemed a little off to me. Edgerton doesn't let us easily decipher his mystery, either. His performance as Gordo is as enigmatic as it is entrancing, and he kept me wanting to know more about him. Just when you think he's finished, Edgerton pulls you back in and takes another twisted turn on this rollercoaster of emotions.
There was a little subplot involving Simon's wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall) that wasn't developed as well as I felt it could have been. There's a subtle hint that she has a bit of a fractured past of her own, and that could have been part of the reason the family moved from Chicago to California so abruptly. While it does play in favor of the film's ultimate ending, it was more glossed over than I felt it should have. Perhaps it was Edgerton's intention to make the audience forget about this tidbit to enhance the ending, but I still kind of felt they could have went at least a little deeper into this subplot than they did. However, it didn't dampen my overall experience, and is easy to forget about as the film progresses.
The use of jump scares in a film is something I'm not particularly fond of, but the places they were briefly used in The Gift actually work to the film's advantage. The unnerving dread in this pseudo-home invasion flick kept me on my wit's end, and putting a few jump scares in jolted me in my seat. The audience was particularly receptive of these jumps, and they even laughed off their fright for a bit (much to my cousin's chagrin).
Simply put, The Gift is the one movie of the summer you didn't know you have to see. I went in with pretty low expectations, and was pleased to have those shattered to oblivion. Joel Edgerton has crafted a brilliant thriller than takes you on a psychological roller coaster, playing with your emotions and expectations all the way through. Just when you think it's over, the story picks itself right back up and drags you along with it. There are a couple distractions in the plot that feel a little unwelcome, but they really don't take much away from the film's overall experience. Jason Bateman is only getting better at his acting as the years roll by, and I really can't wait to see what he does next. Joel Edgerton has proven himself as a formidable director, and I believe he could easily handle a bigger project by himself. His directing surprisingly doesn't hamper his performance, and it works to the film's benefit more than anything else. The Gift is a tense and terrifying thriller that will go above and beyond all your expectations. Get ready for a fantastic thrill ride. Nothing can possibly prepare you for what you'll see in this film. I guarantee it.