Some of the most legendary movies have come from the thriller genre:“Gone Girl,” “The Firm,” “Fight Club”–the list goes on. Although “The Gift” does its best to live up to these movies, it falls just short due to a lack of engaging acting.
Beginning with what looks like a happy couple moving to a new town for the husband’s job, “The Gift” quickly takes a turn for the creepy when the couple bumps into an old ‘friend’ from the husband’s past, Gordo (Joel Edgerton).
As the movie progresses, tensions heat up between Gordo and the couple, eventually revealing cracks in the couple’s relationship. As the situation gets more and more disturbing, the dark past of both the wife, Robyn (Rebecca Hall), and the husband, Simon (Jason Bateman), is revealed.
The movie effectively misled the audience and created an atmosphere that maintained a steady level of strangeness throughout. Edgerton somehow managed to make everything creepy, from fish to monkeys.
Though the movie wasn’t a waste of two hours, it failed to stand out in a genre that brags some of the greatest movies of our generation. However, it was a decent movie and kept me engaged for the entire duration.
“The Gift” is the first full movie directed by Edgerton, who also stars as Gordo. Given that it is his directorial debut, Edgerton did a fabulous job and has strong potential for further movies. After all, the first movie Spielberg directed received only a 46 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, while Edgerton’s received a 92 percent.
The acting in the movie was not particularly exceptional. Though not bad, the actors failed to stand out in their roles and forced the plot to make up for the acting.
Despite this, “The Gift” did have exciting twists and kept the audience guessing. Halfway through, the antagonist becomes the victim and the victim becomes collateral damage, leaving the audience shocked.
The most interesting part of the movie was the ambiguity. There were many questions left unanswered at the end, particularly surrounding Gordo, leaving his actions up to interpretation. The only clear message is that the past will always catch up to you, demonstrated in an extreme and terrifying example.
The ending was unexpected, diverging from the path it seemed to be on. Though it didn’t go the way I anticipated, it wasn’t anticlimactic, but instead thought-provoking.
The unanswered ending leaves room for post-movie discussion, which is arguably the best part of going to the movies. Though it diverges from traditional thrillers, “The Gift” does not fail to intrigue with open-ended questions.
“The Gift” was a fairly average movie that shouldn’t be written off, but is not worth going to the movie theaters to watch. If you’re looking for a cross between thought-provoking and suspenseful, this is the movie for you, although I would recommend waiting until it is released on DVD.
