Actor Joel Edgerton has always delivered commanding performances in such films as “Animal Kingdom,” “Warrior” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” His performance in “The Gift” is just as impressive, but in addition to his fine acting, he also takes writing and directing credit. Edgerton’s feature-length directorial debut is near perfect.
The premise; Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall play a seemingly happy couple who move to Los Angeles for a job opportunity. Almost immediately upon arriving, they run into Gordo (played by Edgerton), a childhood acquaintance of Bateman’s.
Gordo is a bit odd, but his intentions seem sincere. As the days go by, and the friendship develops, things change. Secrets are reveled and the relationship becomes complex.
From the opening scene, “The Gift” manages to create an uneasiness of things to come.
This is an adult, psychological thriller that will literally have you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. The script is incredibly well written and the characters amazingly complex. The horror that unfolds is completely believable, something most thrillers these days cannot lay claim to. You will be talking about, and processing what you just saw for some time after leaving the theater.
“The Gift” is exactly that—a late-summer present to audiences, that should not be forgotten come awards season.
