"The Gift" made me a fan of Blumhouse before I saw Jem.
“The Gift” has to be one of my favorite films of the year. Taking a simple premise based on revenge, Joel Edgerton manages to mine something special out of the tried and true. Plus, it doesn’t hurt having Jason Bateman play a rat bastard that feels realistic. Bateman is justified in some of his anger, but a lot of the film he brings upon himself. The same goes for Edgerton, which makes me happy as I love that moral ambiguity. What does that say for Rebecca Hall? Especially with that ending.
Some wanted to take the movie as a High School revenge story roughly 20 years later, but it moves beyond that. “The Gift” is a film about familiarity and relying on perceived notions. Simon is a monster that his wife chooses to ignore. It’s only when Gordo brings up the fact that he might be hiding the worst parts of his personality that Robyn even begins to question their life together. But, not enough to really make any difference. Mind games will do that to you.
The Blu-Ray comes with an alternate ending, deleted scenes, featurettes and a commentary as the special features. The A/V Quality is stunning for a quieter film. The 1080p transfer plays with dark levels well. The real kicker is the DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track that gives the back channels action. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
