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The Gift

THE GIFT

With Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton, Allison Tolman

Written & Directed by Joel Edgerton

A couple's tranquil life is turned upside down when the husband bumps into an old acquaintance from school. They weren't really great friends (the one a popular jock, the other far from it), but as a gesture he invites him over for dinner.

The man seems to become obsessed, coming around unannounced, thinking he is seen as a friend, where in fact he is mocked behind his back. When this becomes apparent to him, things turn dark, the couple's suburban bliss thrown for a loop as he slowly starts to infiltrate their daily life to the point of terrorizing their every move. This places the viewer in an interesting quandary where they may in fact be siding with who seems to be the traditional villain (especially in a world where there's a feeling that people need to pay for their past transgressions - but to what extent?), in effect having you reflect on a deeper level than a mere chiller scenario of "bad guy & victims".

The film treads a very alluring tightrope between straight-up thriller and the potential to turn into a horror movie - `I live undefined genres and prefer surprises to being told exactly what you're going to get.

Initially I was unaware that actor Joel Edgerton also wrote and directed this film - A very admirable job he made of it.

4 / C
- Paul Blom


0 1 2 3 4 5 6
- A - B
- C


never let a review decide for you, but for those who need a rating, see the Flamedrop scale below
6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A: Multi-Viewing Potential

B: Could Enjoy A 2nd Look

C: Once Should Suffice



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