Cast:
Jason Bateman (Simon Callem), Rebecca Hall (Robyn Callem), Joel Edgerton (Gordon "Gordo" Mosley), Tim Griffin (Kevin "KK" Keelor), Allison Tolman (Lucy), Beau Knapp (Detective Walker), P.J. Byrne (Danny McDonald), David Denman (Greg Pierson), Busy Philipps (Duffy), and Wendell Pierce (Detective Mills) Written and Directed by Joel Edgerton.
Review:
"I wanted to take those triangle thrillers that we’re all so familiar with and hold the audience’s hand going down that road for the first third of the movie, and then just start messing with those conventions."
Like I said, the director can come from anywhere. Sometimes he can even serve as the star of the picture, and this proves doubly true with Joel Edgerton, making his debut as a director alongside serving as star, writer, and co-producer. The son of a solicitor, he developed a passion for home moviemaking, doing so first with 8mm while growing up in Sydney, Australia. After studying drama at the University of Western Sydney, Edgerton entered acting with the Sydney Theatre Company before adding appearances in television and film in his native country, most notably with The Secret Life of Us (2001-02). This was the fourth film he had wrote for, having done so with The Square (2008, which had his brother Nash as director), Felony (2013), and The Rover (2014, co-written with David Michôd).
This is a decent little movie, certainly befitting someone making the rounds in terms of acting and directing as a moderately entertaining experience, one that uses its small cast to create a few moments of worthy tension. It definitely seems a bit familiar for those who know what it is trying to pull with psychological thrills (with influences noted such as Caché and Fatal Attraction), but Edgerton does a fine job with weaving a tense atmosphere that leaves doubt in one's mind with the nature of its plot before eventually getting to its sleight of hand ending, which will either work for what is needed in terms of lasting impact, or it will seem a bit hollow for all that it built to that point. One starts with Bateman, mostly known for his work equally as a teen idol on television before moving into straight man roles in comedy (such as with Arrested Development (incidentally, he also had gotten himself into directing with Bad Words a few years prior to this). He does quite well here, balancing himself in reserved tension that keeps you on your toes each time you see him. Nothing is quite as it seems, and he does well in maintaining the illusion of charming stability without collapsing into condescending cliché, because he can move between logic and ruthless fairly well - such as whenever Edgerton steps out of sight and Bateman introduces the seeds of doubt about this man to his wife (whether that means name-calling or something else). Hall does pretty well as the key piece between the two of them, handling her doubts and fears with reason and useful conviction that we gravitate to because of her position that sees the lines of who and what we know blur a bit in a way we shudder to think about. Edgerton makes for quiet tension, doing so with an act that seems just a little off-key from when we first see him (essentially equal to a person you met long ago that didn't quite understand when it's time to go) that only grows from there, building the seeds of doubt without needing any overblown theatrics. Sure, a dog could be kidnapped or so, but we never take our eyes off the doubt that comes from the building tension that comes from more than just a supposed weirdo, and by the end it's possible to not really even have a clear definition of who fits the role as "monster". On the whole, it is the build in quiet tension for what we know/don't know about someone that ultimately makes the difference in how effective the film works itself out, one that doesn't lead to any big moments of blood or even an overamped jump scare for its 108 minute run-time. If the idea of someone you know from long ago coming back with a few gifts of their own seems like it could be an interesting little thriller, I would suggest this one (while saying the less one knows the better), as it is a useful effort accomplished by Edgerton in terms of moving one's expectations about the thriller with creeping execution and conviction.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
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