Somehow, this "little" thriller has flown under the radar, even though it's been widely praised by pretty much everyone and currently holds a very impressive 93% on the Tomato Meter.

Joel Edgerton wrote, directed, and starred here.  Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall share the most screen time, but Edgerton steals the show.  But, I do have to say Bateman gives a Hell of a performance in a role that's far from his usual.

With a budget of only $5 Million, this is a perfect example of how to make a widescreen release movie on a small budget.  Through yesterday, in 5 days of release, it's already pulled in $15 Million.

It's not really fair to say much about the story and plot, because it's one of those movies where you want to play along and try and figure out exactly what's happening and why.  I was very close to nailing it, but that's not to say it's very well put together, and far from obvious.

Well shot, well acted, and well written.  There's a creepiness throughout that works very well...to the point where I was "looking" for things to happen or clues to expose themselves in almost every shot.

Grade - A

I thought it was too predictable .... creepy indeed but new the ending by midway through the movie sort of spoiled it for me.

Want to see this one. Seen the trailer a while ago and it looked interesting and creepy. Also, I'm a big fan of Edgerton and like Bateman also. Good to see it doing well and the majority are enjoying it.

Quoted from Pale Yellow I thought it was too predictable .... creepy indeed but new the ending by midway through the movie sort of spoiled it for me.

How did you "know" the ending midway through, Dena?  That's quite impressive!!!

Does this have anything to do with the 2000 film?

Can I hope for a naked Katie Holmes?  Because that's all I cared about in that film, and it had nothing else going for it.

Quoted from Max Does this have anything to do with the 2000 film? Can I hope for a naked Katie Holmes?  Because that's all I cared about in that film, and it had nothing else going for it.

No.
And, nope again.

This was originally titled Weirdo and is scripted by our own (Aussie) Joel Edgerton. Writer, Director, Producer, Actor - and all round bloody show off.  ;)

Just goes to show too, sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. Looking forward to seeing this one.

Quoted from Max Does this have anything to do with the 2000 film? Can I hope for a naked Katie Holmes?  Because that's all I cared about in that film, and it had nothing else going for it.

The Gift (2000) was a great film, actually.  And, yes, Katie Holmes showed those nice melons of hers, which was truly a gift.

No nudity in this R rated flick, sorry to say.

I thought The Gift (2000) was garbage, and the overall reviews of the film weren't that impressive.  I was only drawn to it because of Sam Raimi.

I don't let the reviews dictate what I like, but I agree with them in this case, and I watched the movie twice over.

Moving away from that film (because it has nothing to do with this new film), I've seen the trailer for this ting and I liked the atmosphere, and I'll more than likely watch it if people are recommending it.

The Gift is Old Boy meets Gone Girl. I literally shouted, "oh shit!" in the theater. A must see. Super fucked up and really well crafted. A surprise hit for sure.

This film surprised me. Saw it a week ago and bits of it stay with me, replaying in my head. Surprisingly good. Small cast, simple ideas twistily well done. I was never sure what was going on, in a good way, until right near the end.

And the end was great, amazing to see one I've never seen before. Impressive. Very. Bloody Joel Edgerton. Bloody wrote and directed. And acted. Frankly makes me sick. Barstard.

R

Quoted from Dreamscale How did you "know" the ending midway through, Dena?  That's quite impressive!!!

When the main actress was shown to be pregnant, I think it was made quite obvious where the movie was going considering what was shown before.

Anyway... movie was okay. Kind of started off fast. The plot got moving in like the first 5 minutes, where they meet "the bad guy". Then it cooled off and picked back up in the last third.

Acting was good. Especially Rebecca Hall, who did a great job.

As a whole, the movie was nothing special. Kind of simple and predictable, but okay.

Quoted from rendevous I was never sure what was going on, in a good way, until right near the end. And the end was great, amazing to see one I've never seen before.

There's a Spanish movie with pretty much the same twist: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1437358/

Really enjoyed this! Great job done with a pretty simple premise.

And now I'm going to watch Demento's recommendation: Sleep Tight. Hope the movie's as good as the title.

I enjoyed this too. Nice thriller, with a serious flaw though.

[spoiler]

Since Gordo revealed his identity to Simon right off the bat, how could Simon not worry about him telling the truth to his wife? All Gordo had to do to ruin things for him was open his mouth and talk about the past. So I think the story would have worked better if Gordo hadn't revealed from the beginning who he really was. He could've introduced himself to the couple as a neighbor or something.

Still, an enjoyable and well-made thriller overall.

Quoted from Demento There's a Spanish movie with pretty much the same twist: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1437358/

Thanks for the shout out about Sleeptight, Demento.
Watched it and really enjoyed it. So creepy!  

Fantastic film that us scriptwriting folk should definitely take note of. Nothing big or fancy in this movie and no big production concerns -- just a clever story about three interesting characters.

My favourite critic mentioned that Jason Bateman is best when he's playing an asshole, and I think that's one of the things that really shines about this movie. This one plays around with audience sympathies to each character a lot, which is part of what makes its twists land so hard.