The Gift
Huayi Brothers Media | Release Date: August 7, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
77
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
29
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyKevin P. SullivanAug 6, 2015
The real joy of The Gift is getting to that twisted goodness, because more than anything, Edgerton’s script and direction demonstrate a keen understanding of tension and what puts an audience on edge. Read full review
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriAug 8, 2015
It’s that rarest of psychological thrillers: one that actually lives up to the words “psychological thriller.” Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinAug 6, 2015
Although the film builds an effective sense of dread and contains its share of unnerving visuals and well-timed scares, it proves far more psychological thrill ride than shockfest. Read full review
90
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternAug 6, 2015
You may know Mr. Edgerton as the actor who played the cocksure SEAL squadron commander in “Zero Dark Thirty,” and Tom Buchanan in “The Great Gatsby.” Who knew, though, that his debut feature would be so stylishly crafted, intricately psychological and genuinely thrilling? Read full review
90
The New York TimesStephen HoldenAug 6, 2015
Underneath it all, The Gift is a merciless critique of an amoral corporate culture in which the ends justify the means, and lying and cheating are O.K., as long as they’re not found out. Read full review
90
TheWrapJames RocchiJul 22, 2015
Nothing here feels cheap or hasty, which is why the horror, when it comes, is all the more chilling and grim. Slick, sharp and legitimately terrifying, The Gift is a truly brilliant thriller — and, one hopes, the first of many features from Edgerton to come. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 7, 2015
This is a tense, nerve-wracking thriller of the mind, with first-rate performances by Bateman, Hall and Edgerton — a tightly spun thriller with a wicked sense of humor and a wonderfully warped take on long-range karma. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianJeff BakerAug 6, 2015
A tight little thriller that recalls the good old days of "Fatal Attraction" and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," back when suspicious packages appeared on the doorstep, no affair went unpunished, and the family dog was never safe. Read full review
83
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallAug 5, 2015
The Gift is B-movie melodrama at its lurid finest, and worth a look. Read full review
83
HitfixGregory EllwoodJul 22, 2015
Edgerton, who also wrote the screenplay, shows a masterful touch in playing with conventional expectations. Read full review
80
The GuardianMike McCahillAug 6, 2015
The debutant director applies himself with the same quiet assurance and attention to detail he’s displayed in his acting projects. Read full review
80
CineVuePatrick GambleAug 4, 2015
The Gift might not smash the boundaries of genre filmmaking but therein lies its appeal; a smart, well-made thriller that balances high-minded cinema with genre thrills. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonDaisy Bowie-SellAug 3, 2015
The Gift will have you triple-locking the doors and rushing to pull the curtains. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJon FroschJul 22, 2015
Taken on its own undemanding terms and considered within its not very original framework, Joel Edgerton’s feature-length directorial debut is a pleasant — or pleasantly unpleasant — surprise, hitting its genre marks in brisk, unfussy fashion and raising a few hairs on the back of your neck along the way. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAug 5, 2015
The Gift, a psychological roller coaster on a doomed track, is one of the best directorial debuts in ages, hands down. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliAug 9, 2015
Clever and atmospheric, the film has enough twists to keep the average viewer guessing. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyAug 7, 2015
The Gift uses the tricks of the thriller trade well, but why it really works is that it withholds the necessary information until almost the very end. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerAug 6, 2015
The film ends with a delicious question, an uncertainty that will linger long after the credits roll – no ribbon is tied on The Gift. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanAug 6, 2015
A surprisingly intelligent and effective (if slightly pulpy) psychological thriller. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAug 6, 2015
The Gift stretches things a little too much for it to be a first-rate thriller. Still, among second-rate thrillers, it’s one of the best. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughAug 6, 2015
In addition to directing outstanding performances, Edgerton also suggests psychological processes by means of space, architecture, and décor, exploiting the walls, doorways, windows, and mirrors of the new house to indicate the status of a relationship or self-image. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsAug 6, 2015
All three leading performers are scarily convincing on the film's own tight, clammy terms. Read full review
75
The PlaylistKatie WalshAug 5, 2015
The true star of The Gift is Edgerton as director. His deft, controlled maneuvering of plot, character, style, and tone is damn near perfect for his feature debut — even if it is in service of a very standard genre piece. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJake ColeAug 4, 2015
Joel Edgerton's boilerplate direction is a blessing for a genre increasingly saddled with literal visualizations of madness. Read full review
70
VarietyScott FoundasJul 22, 2015
Where The Gift toys with our expectations is in its refusal to align itself with any one character or to manufacture obvious heroes and villains. Read full review
70
Screen DailyJohn HazeltonJul 22, 2015
Initially, it plays like an atmospheric but predictable stalker thriller with not much more than style – and maybe the casting of the always watchable Jason Bateman – to recommend it. Later, though, it turns into a considerably more intriguing and twisty psychological drama. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Aug 5, 2015
Pivoting out of conventional horror-flick territory into the realm of psychodrama, and drastically blurring the lines separating its heroes from its villains, The Gift turns out to be much smarter and more troubling than it looks on the surface. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 25, 2015
A smart, adult thriller. Read full review
63
New York PostSara StewartAug 6, 2015
The long-term effects of bullying are at the heart of The Gift, a dark and ultimately quite nasty psychological thriller from actor/writer/debut director Joel Edgerton, who manages to yank the carpet out from under his audience a couple of times. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsKatherine PushkarAug 7, 2015
It’s fun to see Bateman channel his inner prick. But the gaslighting husband/cruel high school tormentor subplot is so underwritten that it feels tacked on. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBarbara VanDenburghAug 6, 2015
It’s an assured debut from a rising star that nails tone and pace. It would be a solid summer thriller were it not grossly undermined by its astonishingly regressive treatment of its leading lady. Read full review
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