Nocturnal Animals

Listen, I'm not a movie guru, I don't study arts, I'm just your average Joe that loves movies. I've seen lots of movies, I don't discriminate, terror, drama, action, animated you name it, I can perfectly differentiate between a bad from a good movie, I don't need the biased comments of the so called movie critics on IMDb. Thanks God I didn't pay attention to all the misguided comments about this movie, Nocturnal Animals is a beautiful & stylish movie, great photography, solid acting and a solid plot that will stay with you long after you finish it. I don't understand why there's so much envy and hate in the film industry, the wannabe movie critics can't take that a guy who came from the fashion world actually can created a pretty good movie. My fellow reader, please don't miss the chance to see this movie.

Tom Ford's first film since 'A Single Man' is another winner, an ambitious high-wire noir thriller with Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal in an explosive tale of love, violence, and revenge.

So I just Finished Nocturnal Animals and to put as bluntly as possible I absolutely loved it and it might end up being one of my top 10 favorite movie of the year. Well it's basically two movies in one. One half appeals to my lust for grim blood soaked, dark genre fare while the other half plays like an interpersonal glossy drama that's just as compelling. Both feel as if they could hold entire films in their own right and grabbed me till the very end. It's much better if you go in cold so I won't really say much more but if you love a good thriller, crime drama or just good film making in general and it's playing near you please do yourself a favor and let Mr Tom Ford take you on a trip through some movie magic.

While lamenting on her life, well-to-do art gallery owner Susan Morrow is startled to receive the manuscript of a novel written by her ex-husband Edward Sheffield, an aspiring writer with whom she's been estranged for several years. Upon reading his story she's quickly captivated by the intensity and raw emotion of the writing, and soon begins to ponder over her past actions. Gripping, murky, and suspenseful psychological thriller pulls you in and never lets go, with many haunting scenes that explore various underlying themes like revenge, regret, and betrayal, made all the more believable by the searing performances of a perfectly chosen cast--Shannon and Taylor-Johnson standing out in particular. Lots of startling moments, along with skillful direction and editing make this a potent piece of work. ***

Susan Morrow is a successful gallery owner. She is married to businessman Hutton Morrow, who is constantly travelling. She receives a manuscript of a novel, Nocturnal Animals, written by her first husband, Edward Sheffield. The gritty content of the novel strikes a chord with Susan and she starts to remember the times she and Edward had together. While this draws her closer to him, there are unresolved issues between the two.

Intriguing movie that operates on two levels. There's the relationship drama involving Susan and Edward and the crime drama in the novel. The novel becomes the story-within-a-story, with, cleverly, Jake Gyllenhaal as the link between the two. Having Amy Adams play Susan and Isla Fisher the lead female character in the dramatisation of the novel is also a masterstroke, due to them looking so alike. (I only realised that it was Isla Fisher once I saw the credits. I had to go back to her scenes to confirm it was her, I was so convinced the character was played by Amy Adams).

Unfortunately, the two levels are not created equal. I found myself far more interested in the novel's story than the main story. The novel was unflinchingly gritty and included a good revenge plot and theme. The main story was interesting only for the Susan-Edward backstory, and didn't really progress much, feeling more like wrapping around the novel story, without contributing much itself.

There was still heaps of potential for both stories and the movie as a whole though, but the conclusion is a bit of a let-down. The novel ends in strange, contrived-feeling, fashion. The main story and movie ends quite flat. I'm a veteran of many anticlimactic endings, so very little tends to surprise me, but I was genuinely surprised when the closing credits started to roll. I thought "That can't possibly be it". But it was.

A more profound tying together of the two stories and a punchy ending (to both) and Nocturnal Animals would have been superb.

This said, there is still a lot to be admired about the movie. The novel story was done well and was helped by great performances from Michael Shannon and Jake Gyllenhaal. Shannon received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his effort. In addition, the Susan-Edward backstory was interesting.