I wanted to see this in the theatre, but it didn’t look like a full-price movie. I completely missed it when it went to the dollar theatre, and only just now rediscovered it.
I’ve got to give kudos to Jason Bateman. One of my teenage crushes, he resurfaced in the TV sitcom “Arrested Development”, and then on to the movies. I’m really excited that he’s back in the spotlight.
The Gift is a psychological thriller with a twist. The trailer led me to believe that this was more of a “Saw” theme, where a righteous vigilante gives bad people what’s coming to them in the form of a gift. I was wrong.
The movie builds slowly and keeps an even pace as the story unfolds. It’s not for the impatient, it’s worth waiting for.
You end up asking yourself “Was the villain really the villain?” “Was the hero really a hero?”
And finally, “Now that revenge has been served, this guy is still a loser, so now what?”
I would have liked this movie more had the pace been a tad quicker. On the other hand, the slow pace gave the viewer time to try and work things out on their own.
As for Jason Bateman, I’d like to see him stretch himself a little more. He seems to be stuck in this Suburban Guy role, whether he plays a jerk or a good guy.
The final revenge at the end was brilliant, but not enough to pull the movie to the next level. Still, a good rainy day movie.
Three stars. ***
My Bad Movie Reviews 