A vicious rumor is at the front and center of one man’s quest for revenge against the man who ruined his childhood. Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going just as planned until a chance encounter with an acquaintance from Simon’s high school sends their world upside down. Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Writer, Director Joel Edgarton) at first, but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years later. ‘The Gift’ provided some scenes that really challenged the audience with how they perceive the very concept of the suspence genre. Those scenes and the ending in particular is what kept this movie running at decent territory, but i am sad to report that this film is a disappointment for a script that needed the attention of someone who wasn’t writing, directing and starring in the movie. Edgarton as well as the rest of the cast certainly brings enough raw emotion and acting dimensions to the characters they sport. I only wish that they had a script that focused more on the wonderful things they do, and less on the pointless backstories that never really go anywhere. Bateman in particular delivers arguably his most versatile performance to date, and it would be nice to see him more often in non comedy roles that force him to take on a role that doesn’t always typecast him as loveable. There isn’t really anything majorly wrong with the film, it’s just dull, dry, and lacks the kind of investment payoff until the final ten minutes of the movie. It features some jump scare scenes, which actually worked for the jumps they were delivering. They aren’t scares for the sake of scares, and the suspence is nicely granted, if albeit long winded periods in between. One big problem that i see for the movie is people feeling unsatisfied by the film’s ending, but it’s the opposite of anything safe, so i can greatly appreciate it and get behind it. This is a pure revenge flick that presents a second side to the bullying storyline that we have certainly seen given the one sided treatment by films like ‘Prom Night’ and ‘Valentine’, but where ‘The Gift’ takes it to another level is by making you question who really is in the right and wrong in this situation. The film’s musical score is soft and subtle, but never feels too manipulative as it mutes itself during the long panning shots where the sounds in the house play to our fears of what’s beyond the corner. ‘The Gift’ is one of those slowburn films that i didn’t appreciate minutes after i left the theater, but as time goes on, i find myself appreciating it more and more for the chances and leaps it takes into unnatural territory. It’s a precisely crafted exercise in guilt, playing against the stereotype of revenge being a young man’s game. With some tighter editing, the film could easily be one of the Summer’s best sleeper picks.

6/10