Review of The Gift (2015) by Scott T — 08 Sep 2015

The gift is an alright movie. I wouldn't say phenomenal but the semi-Hitchcockian/Shyamalan flavour that the story by Edgerton tries to create pays off in the end but could have reach even higher heights.

Edgerton gives a pretty scary (and honestly quite brief) performance as Gordo, the best part of the character is you kept guessing whether he was good or bad intentioned the entire film (similar to Wes Craven's Red Eye).

Bateman, who people know I am quite fond of, delivers sadly a simply one note performance. So much so you have to question how Robyn, played by Hall actually would want to marry this guy. She has her own set of problems too, and while stronger than Bateman's character overall, she isn't given much to do with beyond piecing the puzzle together.

Maybe the problem is that neither really get redemption in the film or come to any form of resolution which is a stark difference in how the film is carried compared to modern cinema. Regardless, The Gift is a movie that still kept me guessing the entire film (even though SPOILERS it is hinged on one direct line of dialogue one character speaks) and I wish it did have a bit more grey vs deciding the path it dictated (this is why also lately I dislike watching trailers, it doesn't give much away for the entire plot, but it still (and ironically like the movie says) plants an idea in your head that made me come in with some prior knowledge).