REVIEW: NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
The importance of a film's opening scene can't be stressed enough. In my favorite film, which most people watch around this time in the holidays, It's a Wonderful Life, we see a slew of people in the wee town of Bedford Falls praying for the life of George Bailey. Immediately know something is wrong, that the film will tote a sentimental sentiment, and who is George and why does he need these prayers? A great opening scene should ask all of those questions...and in Nocturnal Animals you will have a lot of questions, and it's not indicative of the movie you are about to watch. Please don't Google it, and, review spoiler alert, I liked this movie a lot, so I encourage you to go see it. I want to say Ford wanted to be sensationalistic but it doesn't fit with the theme. It must be experienced, with a crowd as full as many people as you can, so you can all collectively stew in the awkwardness.
The movie actually revolves around Susan, played by Amy Adams, who receives a finished manuscript from her ex-husband Edward, called "Nocturnal Animals." All is far from well for Susan; her arm(-ie Hammer) candy husband is always busy, possibly adulterous, and as she reads the manuscript she gets more and more uneasy. It's about a man, Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal) who sets out on revenge after a trio of hicks does something horrible to his family. With the help of a chain-smoking Texas cop (Michael Shannon), he tries to obtain justice. Meanwhile, Susan has flashbacks to her short-lived marriage with Edward.
With three stories going on at once, I thought for a while that Nocturnal Animals might be getting too muddied for me. However, editor Joan Sobel deserves an Academy Award for being able to balance the story lines so well, I was never left confused. While Adams could be seen as the main character, most of the film is depicting the contents of Edward's novel. I'm glad Tom Ford, the writer and director of this film, felt more compelled than to just adapt that one story. The film feels literary in its approach, jumping between "fiction" and "non-fiction." Gyllenhaal pulls double duty as Edward the writer and Tony the character; a parallel that makes perfect sense when we find out that Edward laments "he can only write what he knows."
Casting is crucial and clever here: who represents who in the book vs the real world; there is a very clever wink to who is cast as Tony's wife in "Nocturnal Animals." Adams doesn't get a ton to do here, especially considering her lead star power exhibit in the recent Arrival. Many a time we just see her reading/lounging in bed (which believe me, I'm not complaining about). Gyllenhaal gets more to sink his teeth into, in both roles playing mild men pushed to their limits; one emotionally and the other, in Tony's case, in every way possible. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the ringleader of the Texan redneck trio, and he pulled a surprise Golden Globe nomination for it earlier this month. It's deserved: he doesn't bring anything new to the psychopath trope, but he does it well. Shannon is rock solid as disgruntled, driven cop Lieutenant Andes; charismatic as all get out, you'd trust your case in his hands.
A review on one of the posters saw described it as Hitchcockian. Perhaps the elements of unknown danger Susan faces when she sees the novel as some sort of threat towards her life since she left Edward nearly decades ago. There's that tension and uncertainty of the unknown present that fueled so much of Hitch's work. The suspense mostly comes from the "Nocturnal Animals" plot, and Tony's quest for revenge. Somehow a greater theme seems to be missing: why does all this matter, ultimately? It's a great thrill ride but as gorgeous as the film is it can feel a little empty. But the ending finishes strong, a bold choice, and will encourage many a dinner conversation. Not a bad bookend for a movie with the year's strangest opening.
Rating: 3/4 stars
The movie actually revolves around Susan, played by Amy Adams, who receives a finished manuscript from her ex-husband Edward, called "Nocturnal Animals." All is far from well for Susan; her arm(-ie Hammer) candy husband is always busy, possibly adulterous, and as she reads the manuscript she gets more and more uneasy. It's about a man, Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal) who sets out on revenge after a trio of hicks does something horrible to his family. With the help of a chain-smoking Texas cop (Michael Shannon), he tries to obtain justice. Meanwhile, Susan has flashbacks to her short-lived marriage with Edward.
With three stories going on at once, I thought for a while that Nocturnal Animals might be getting too muddied for me. However, editor Joan Sobel deserves an Academy Award for being able to balance the story lines so well, I was never left confused. While Adams could be seen as the main character, most of the film is depicting the contents of Edward's novel. I'm glad Tom Ford, the writer and director of this film, felt more compelled than to just adapt that one story. The film feels literary in its approach, jumping between "fiction" and "non-fiction." Gyllenhaal pulls double duty as Edward the writer and Tony the character; a parallel that makes perfect sense when we find out that Edward laments "he can only write what he knows."
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| Expect to see Shannon get an Oscar nomination |
Casting is crucial and clever here: who represents who in the book vs the real world; there is a very clever wink to who is cast as Tony's wife in "Nocturnal Animals." Adams doesn't get a ton to do here, especially considering her lead star power exhibit in the recent Arrival. Many a time we just see her reading/lounging in bed (which believe me, I'm not complaining about). Gyllenhaal gets more to sink his teeth into, in both roles playing mild men pushed to their limits; one emotionally and the other, in Tony's case, in every way possible. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the ringleader of the Texan redneck trio, and he pulled a surprise Golden Globe nomination for it earlier this month. It's deserved: he doesn't bring anything new to the psychopath trope, but he does it well. Shannon is rock solid as disgruntled, driven cop Lieutenant Andes; charismatic as all get out, you'd trust your case in his hands.
A review on one of the posters saw described it as Hitchcockian. Perhaps the elements of unknown danger Susan faces when she sees the novel as some sort of threat towards her life since she left Edward nearly decades ago. There's that tension and uncertainty of the unknown present that fueled so much of Hitch's work. The suspense mostly comes from the "Nocturnal Animals" plot, and Tony's quest for revenge. Somehow a greater theme seems to be missing: why does all this matter, ultimately? It's a great thrill ride but as gorgeous as the film is it can feel a little empty. But the ending finishes strong, a bold choice, and will encourage many a dinner conversation. Not a bad bookend for a movie with the year's strangest opening.
Rating: 3/4 stars
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