Robyn (Rebecca Hall) and Simon (Jason Bateman) are a young couple who’ve just moved back to LA for a range of reasons, some good (Simon’s up for a big promotion at work), some not so good (Robyn had a miscarriage). They’re barely settled in when they run into Gordo (Joel Edgerton, who also writes and directs), an old school buddy of Simon’s – or at least, he’s acting like a buddy, while Simon is a bit more wary.
With no friends in town Robyn soon finds herself getting to know him better, and while he seems nice enough at first, there’s something about him that’s just a little bit… off. What separates Edgerton’s directorial debut from any number of other similar thrillers (where a crazy person gets in close then goes nuts) is the way this refuses to let things resolve into black and white.
Gordo is the kind of guy you might not want to get too close to, but it turns out he has his reasons; Simon is the one pushing him away, but it doesn’t take long to realise that he might not be pure as the driven snow himself. Those moments where this kind of film could go either way – that maybe the good guy is really the bad guy and vice versa – are almost always the best part, and this lets them play out for as long as possible in ways that keep your loyalties switching back and forth, and your concern for how this is going to affect Robyn building.
The cast is excellent too: Edgerton keeps Gordo from slipping into a stereotype, and Bateman’s natural disdain here curdles into an edge that’s unpleasant without turning cruel. This is a film that’s constantly just that little bit smarter than you expect it to be, and a smart thriller is always a very enjoyable one.
Reviewed by Anthony Morris