Joel Edgerton's 'The Gift' review, starring Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall

The Gift, actor Joel Edgerton’s directorial debut, is more than just a simple blessing. It’s taunt, refined and mature in ways the suburban Hollywood thriller hasn’t been in years — especially with misfires like The Boy Next Door clogging the system earlier this year — not to mention deliciously twisted and finely pleasant in its unpleasantly morose final turns. It earns the right to be dark and edgy, finely developing its layered characters as Edgerton peels those said layers with a finely delicate touch control under his own well-groomed screenplay. It’s perhaps the most accomplished potboiler suspense-grabber to come in a good while, and easily among the best actor-to-director turns in some time too — even with Ben Affleck at his professional prime.

In addition to his directing and writing roles, Edgerton also stars in this well-developed chiller as Gordo, a lonely observer giving his former high school acquaintance Simon (Jason Bateman) and his wife, Robyn (Rebecca Hall), an unexpected welcome to their newfound suburban neighborhood upon a chance encounter at a nearby store. Handing him their phone number and the address to their new home, soon Robyn and Simon’s new friend becomes a more forward personality then they initially expected, providing unasked help putting together their spacious quarters and taking multiple opportunities to come over for dinner and wine on the dime. Once accepting, the husband-and-wife team soon grow more uncomfortable with the man’s constantly friendly behavior — he’s also the kind of guy unafraid to give pet fish and window cleaner at a moment’s notice — and delicately try eliminating him from their new lives.

Well, Robyn tries the nicer approach at least. As Gordo pervades their lives more, Simon is constantly reminded of Gordo’s unusual personality at school — where neighborhood students, including himself, nicknamed him Weirdo on account of his behavior. When he’s not busy working hard at his high-end law firm, he firmly admits to eliminate Gordo’s visits. Robyn, a planning mother trying to conceive again after a failed pregnancy, sees a gentler side but her husband doesn’t want her instigating anymore of his rash behavior. They only witness the start of his abrasive actions, however, and — as more details regarding Gordo and Simon’s past return to their collective memories— the line of decency is called deeper into question.

Meditative and pensive, The Gift is the type of chamber thriller where the chills grow over time and, thankfully, only rarely come from momentary jump scares here-and-there. Edgerton takes a quieter, almost more European approach to his newfound filmmaking style, copying some elements of Alfred Hitchcock’s work as most do but primarily echoing traits from the likes of Michael Haneke. He lets the characters breathe, as the plot moves into comfortingly familiar but uncomfortably askew directions. It’s haunting less for how distilling the mood may feel and more for how we know things will grow wrong but never know how. Edgerton invites us to be as observant as his character, watching for clues and making sure we look out for important items to come into play, but he never beats us over the head with his foreshadowing or off-key focus. He just wants everyone to remain one step ahead, all while he’s miles away from the action.

Even when the film calls for the actions to get sillier, Edgerton restrains from letting events grow callous. Instead, he knows the ugliness of the human spirit is far more compelling and disquieting than any harsh violence or brisk scares could be. He lets the creepiness come from the mundane to transfixing results, preferring to watch the characters dismember in relation to the plot and, therefore, explores the freights in seeing how they change as people as a result of the tension. That’s the sign of the accomplish filmmaker as any, horror or otherwise.

As these movies often require, there needs to be some plausibility thrown out the window and some overlooking necessary — primarily in regards to how some plot points could come into fruition. Those are more minor here than usual, though. That’s a vague manner of talking about the plot but, like the best chillers, it’s best to enter into this one as cold as possible. And The Gift certainly knows how to play it chill and come collected. Well-acted, enjoyably bleak, rewardingly patient, distinctly levelheaded and poised among its box office peers, this filmmaking debut is an all-around good surprise in a summer defined by familiarity. Edgerton solidifies himself as Hollywood’s latest triple threat, and that’s more than a fine gift for moviegoers everywhere.