Have you watched Train Dreams yet? It's a sad, albeit worthwhile watch that stars Joel Edgerton. Well, Edgerton has been getting a lot of talk lately for his role as the solemn Robert Grainer in the film, and it’s a memorable performance.
That said, there’s another role of Edgerton’s that is completely different, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I watched the film, and that’s as Gordo “the Weirdo” from the 2015 horror movie, The Gift. For those who don’t know, The Gift was also Edgerton’s directorial debut (making this another example of a director who made a great movie on their first try).
So, if you’re new to Edgerton (He was also great in the social justice movie, Loving), then why not give The Gift a try?
The Gift Is Creepy On So Many Levels
For those who really want to dig into Edgerton’s filmography after watching Train Dreams (which reminds some of us here of other classic movies), they might not be ready for a film like The Gift. For one thing, it’s a horror movie.
Now, it’s not a violent horror movie, like say, the Saw series, but rather, psychological horror similar to something like the Michael Shannon flick, Bug. In the film, a married couple is at first unnerved, and then terrorized by a man from the husband’s past. Said husband is named Simon and played by Jason Bateman, who can be charming in films like Zootopia 2, but is full-on smarmy here. As for said terrorizer, his name is Gordo, and he’s played by Joel Edgerton, who I’ll talk about in greater detail soon.
Well, Gordo reappears in Simon’s life, and throughout the film, we learn more and more about their history together back in high school. Simon’s wife, Robyn, played by Rebecca Hall, thinks Gordo is nice, even though Simon seems strangely uncomfortable around him. However, Gordo starts appearing more frequently, and each time, the viewer starts to feel like something is terribly off. It all culminates in a truly twisted conclusion, which I’ll talk about soon. But first, on to Edgerton.
Edgerton Really Shows HIs Range As Gordo “The Weirdo”
Now, I had seen Edgerton in films prior to The Gift, such as Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior, and The Great Gatsby, but in none of those films did Edgerton seem like he could play creepy. However, in The Gift, which Edgerton wrote AND directed, we get a truly terrifying performance from him, and it’s honestly unnerving.
The thing about Gordo is that you never feel like you’re getting the full story from him. He invites Simon and Robyn to a dinner party he’s throwing, only for him to say that the other couple he invited cancelled, so it’s just him. He also tells them he’s not married, only to later say that it’s his wife’s house.
And, the whole story, we’re just wondering what the actual truth is. When we learn that Gordo might have a good reason to hate Simon, we’re wondering if we should dislike Gordo or if we should detest Simon, and it all leads to a truly shocking climax.
And That Ending!
Now, I’m not going to spoil the ending here, because to do that would really ruin the film, but just know that it truly is shocking. In fact, when I initially saw this movie a decade ago, I literally covered my mouth, and I still have a hard time believing that the film went that route, since it seems incredible that a commercial movie would take such a dark turn.
This is a Blumhouse Production, though, so at the time, I thought I was used to their brand of horror, what with films like Insidious, Sinister, and the Paranormal Activity series under their belt. However, unlike those aforementioned films, which have a sort of fantastical element to them, The Gift feels a lot more grounded and subtle.
Until it doesn’t. It ramps up quickly in its 108-minute runtime, and it has such a dark ending that it truly feels horrific.
