Awkward people are awkward. Creepy people are creepy. And awkward creepy people make for great antagonists in movies. The Gift, starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall and Joel Edgerton as said awkward creepy person, is a stalker thriller that doesn’t play by the normal stalker thriller rules.

Also directed by Edgerton, The Gift is a well written, well executed piece of filmmaking that subverts what you’d expect from a late summer thriller such as this while still maintaining a moody, suspenseful atmosphere. The movie looks great, too, serving as a fine theatrical debut for the actor.

Both Bateman and Hall are terrific in the lead roles, with Bateman taking on a more complex character than you’d expect from the primarily comedic actor and Hall also delivering a layered performance. That being said, Hall does find herself sort of trapped in the typical woman-at-home-and-her-husband-thinks-she’s-crazy routine, even though the story doesn’t dwell too much on that arc.

Then again, The Gift doesn’t go where you think it will, a refreshing change of pace for some but likely a disappointment for everyone else. Edgerton plays an awkwardly creepy person well, though the third act largely fails his character. Ironic given that he’s the one who wrote the role, his character becomes (mini-spoiler) more a vessel for Bateman’s character to evolve than a true villain. Those looking for complex drama will appreciate this twist; as someone looking for something a bit more mindless and straightforward—i.e. full-on crazy—The Gift doesn’t give the most rewarding of presents.

The third act, while not bad per say, extinguishes the tension that Edgerton built over the film’s first hour. Edgerton delivers a couple legitimately scary moments—admittedly one is a cheap but effective dream sequence—and otherwise hints at worse things to come, but then he pulls back tremendously as the climax approaches, a frustrating and disappointing decision to say the least.

The climax itself is a bit shrug-inducing as well, though the surprise pay-off is fucked up enough to be mildly memorable.

Nonetheless, The Gift is moody and suspenseful—at least until it isn’t. It’s an all-around decent film with good performances and good setup; it just lacks the more cliché Edgerton-goes-batshit-crazy stuff that admittedly I wanted more than anything else. The Gift will make for a good rental, but don’t bother unwrapping it in theaters.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.