Edgerton's directorial debut a 'Gift' to revenge thrillers
High school revenge fantasies will remain a viable, relevant movie genre for as long as hallway bullies victimize fellow students, but none will probably be as unnerving and jaw-droppingly memorable as Joel Edgerton's "The Gift."
The setup seems simple.
A happily married and successful couple, Simon and Robyn (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall), are out shopping one day when an "old high school friend" approaches Simon to say hi.
Except that Simon doesn't recognize Gordon (Edgerton, juggling acting, directing, writing and producing credentials) until he hears the nickname "Gordo."
It seems to be a cordial and friendly encounter. Yet, you can sense an uneasiness, a quiet tension roiling about a micron beneath the placid surface of this meeting.
Gordo manipulates his way into an invitation for dinner at the couple's posh, upper middle-class house.
The evening goes well, sort of. But there's something about Gordo, his wandering eyes, the strange inflections on his sentences, his physical demeanor, that suggests something might be just a little, uh, off.
Soon, Gordo starts ingratiating himself to the couple. He buys them gifts. Then he begins dropping by the house unannounced during the day while Robyn is alone.
Simon becomes perturbed by Gordo's behavior, and it's just a matter of time before he gets tough with his old pal and lays down the law. Then the couple's beloved dog mysteriously disappears.
Up to this point in "The Gift," Edgerton has lured us into this world with familiar characters in too-familiar environments.
Now, the tweaking of expectations begins, with Edgerton's astute and self-aware screenplay slowly driving off the well-traveled road to Thrillerville and, then, ducking into shadowy side roads of surprise and shock.
"The Gift" shamelessly tosses in a few cliched chills, but it's clear that Edgerton is teasing us with them, setting our expectations low to enhance the plot twists hiding around the next narrative corner.
Gordo and Simon, despite being out of high school for two decades, haven't evolved psychologically or emotionally. One is still "Gordo the weirdo" and the other remains his tormentor.
With both Simon and Gordo trapped in their high school personas, Robyn - the sane and normal one, we think - becomes our point of access into the story, another nice twist in Edgerton's constantly shifting screenplay.
Edgerton's subtle, unnerving performance ranks up there next to Anthony Perkins' classic portrait of an emotionally unbalanced Norman Bates in "Psycho."
Bateman, as he demonstrated in his directorial debut "Bad Words," can get away with being a total horse's patootie without turning off viewers. He does it so nicely.
A great responsibility falls on Hall's shoulders to keep us invested in "The Gift" as its male characters slowly drift away from us. Her Robyn has no Batman in this movie, and she's perfectly capable of falling back on survival mode when events dictate.
You might think that the title "The Gift" refers to one of the many presents Gordo offers to Simon and Robyn. In a way, it does.
Oops. Have I said too much?
“The Gift”
★ ★ ★ ½
Starring: Jason Bateman, Joel Edgerton, Rebecca Hall
Directed by: Joel Edgerton
Other: An STX release. Rated R for language. 108 minutes