Movie Review: ‘The Gift’ is a gift to thriller fans

THE GIFT (R)The less you know about “The Gift” going in, the better, so I’m going to tread lightly with this review when it comes to plot details. Sure, this uncomfortable sociopath thriller has elements of “Fatal Attraction,” “Single White Female,” and “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” but writer and director (not to mention co-star) Joel Edgerton throws a nifty little twist into the mix.

In “The Gift,” Jason Batman is Simon, an upper-class family man who has a somewhat awkward chance encounter with old high school classmate Gordo (Edgerton) while doing a little shopping with his wife, Robyn (Rebecca Hall). Before long, Gordo has ingratiated himself into Simon and Robyn’s lives by way of leaving multiple gifts on the couple’s doorstep. Simon becomes increasingly concerned for his wife’s safety as Gordo continues showing up at their house uninvited, acting like he’s their new best friend (think “The King of Comedy’s” Rupert Pupkin). In short, it’s evident that this old high school classmate has a screw loose somewhere.

As an actor, Edgerton is terrific here, infusing Gordo with a creepy, stalker-prone sensibility and combining it with a lonely, sympathetic quality. It’s a nuanced turn that brought to mind the late Robin Williams’ work in the underappreciated “One Hour Photo.”

As strong as Edgerton is, it’s Bateman’s work as Simon that truly dominates “The Gift.” The “Horrible Bosses” star is often utilized as the sarcastic funny guy, but every now and again, he’s given a role that shows us a side we haven’t seen before (see his terrific work in the underrated “Disconnect”). As a career and family man who clearly has a lot to lose, Bateman definitely plays against type here, and the end result is some of the best work of his career.

Rebecca Hall doesn’t fair quite as strong in “The Gift.” It isn’t that she gives a bad performance; she just isn’t quite able to rise to the level of her co-stars. However, to her credit, her part is more or less reduced to the role of the victim. At the very least, though, her Robyn has an interesting backstory, and there is a point in “The Gift” when she finally comes into her own as a character.

As the writer and director, Edgerton is to be commended for taking conventionality with his directorial debut and tweaking it to strong affect. “The Gift” has the moments you’ve come to expect from a movie of this nature: a creepy stalker, a sinister tone, sudden jolts, pets in peril, and so on, but it is also considerably more complex than your garden-variety stalker thriller. This is a movie about lies and deceit, and there’s even a bit of revenge thrown in for good measure. What’s more, “The Gift” is first and foremost a character-driven piece. It’s also quite restrained, trading in in-your-face violence and shock value for a more suggestive approach (the R-rating is mostly for language). As for the ending of “The Gift”…talk about a sucker punch!

There has been a lot of talk about the final moments of this picture, and while the ambiguous nature of it might frustrate some viewers, I would pose that the ending isn’t as ambiguous as it might appear. Not for this viewer anyway; but whatever you might feel about it, it’s in perfect keeping with the theme of the entire film, and I love that we are not force fed the answer to the final question “The Gift” asks. It makes for a thought-provoking finale in a very strong directorial debut. “The Gift” is a true gift for fans looking for a thriller that thinks a little outside the box.