Monday, August 10, 2015

'The Gift' is a treat for people who like thrillers for adults

As the new Fantastic Four has arrived in theaters with a thud, a little thriller that could, The Gift, has performed surprisingly well with critics and moviegoers.

It's a little sad that I am shocked to see a film with no gore, no big third act action sequence and no special effects can still captivate audiences in 2015, but alas this is the state of the industry at this time.

The Gift, which was written and directed by one of its stars Joel Edgerton, could have been a by-the-numbers creepy stalker movie, the kind we've seen a million times before. But thanks to some terrific casting, some well-timed twists and a smart ear for dialogue and pacing -- its so much more.

The trailers, while creepy and effective, don't exactly convey the depth of this movie and I think audiences that give it a chance will have some pretty interesting discussions about human nature after its over.

That said, it's also a fun popcorn thriller too, so never fear. I just appreciate a thriller at this stage of my life that can still make me jump but also has me actually unsure of where it's going from one scene to another.

Jason Bateman
I can't give enough credit to Edgerton, who I had previously viewed as an interesting, up-and-coming actor (Warrior, Animal Kingdom) but here he shows that he has a very sure hand as a director and a writer. I'd be really interested to see what he does next.

In The Gift he does an expert job of establishing fist-clenching tension by his use of silences and agonizing shots of empty hallways and exposed windows. The very chatty audience I saw the movie with was on the edge of their seat throughout and one particular moment definitely popped up in a nightmare afterwards for me.

But this isn't just a series of jump scares. This is also an acting tour de force, especially for Jason Bateman.

Bateman is brilliant in this movie. He is ingeniously cast because he's built up so much audience good will as the amiable and exasperated straight man in so many mainstream comedies (and of course, Arrested Development) that you can't help liking his character and giving him the benefit of doubt. But as the film progresses the darkness that has always lurked under the surface of his heroic characters starts to creep through and it is a revelation.

I don't want to spoil the surprises of this film, but I will say that his arc is the most compelling in many ways although Rebecca Hall is very sympathetic as his wife and Edgerton does a great job of not overplaying creepy. His character is weird, no doubt, but he's not so over the top that you feel like he's some sort of otherworldly boogeyman.

The best thing about The Gift is that it doesn't condescend to its audience and it sustains its admittedly heightened premise throughout. Some audiences expecting cheap shocks may be disappointed by that but I for one was relieved that the film didn't devolve into a bunch of action movie cliches.

Every once a while little movies like this (it was only budgeted at $5 million) pop up in the late summer schedule and either are forgotten or become cult classics later. I hope The Gift continues to draw in paying customers because in a very hit or miss summer, it's one of the best movies of the season.

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