Nocturnal Animals Review
I’ll start by saying this: Nocturnal Animals is a very different movie. If you’ve seen the film, or when you do see it, you’ll see this is true right from the start. Seriously, the opening credits display some middle-aged, very obese, naked women dancing. This opening really did catch me off guard, but as soon as that ends, the film starts with more traditional scenes and plot developments. Once we got past that opening five minutes, it really picked up and became one of the more engrossing films I’ve seen of late.
The story has two main focus points: one set in the real world, one set in a novel that’s interpreted as real by the main character, played by Amy Adams. So the story set in real life revolves around Adams’ character, Susan, who’s kind of just getting by with her private life, despite being very wealthy and an extremely recognizable celebrity in the art world. She mysteriously receives a manuscript from her first husband, Edward, which she begins to read. As she does, she begins to see similarities between her past life and some events depicted in the book, making her question her choices through life. Meanwhile, in the story, we have Toby, a man from Texas who is abused by some Texas Chainsaw Masscare (1974) reject types, who end up deserting him and murdering his wife and child. We follow him as he goes down the path of vengeance with a local detective, played excellently by Michael Shannon, whose non-conventional methods please Toby, a man who has nothing to lose.
Jake Gyllenhaal gives a great performance, both as Toby and Edward, and Adams is pretty great in her role. While I wasn’t totally engrossed with her story at first, as it picked up, it got more and more fascinating as it went along. The depicted novel always held my attention, and shows the more powerful moments of the film. I’ll also say this: Tom Ford knows the three basic fundamentals of directing: making your story interesting, directing your actors to great performances, and making the film look appealing and beautiful. This is especially true for the last aspect. The cinematography, costumes, art direction, everything is in tip-top shape. Unfortunately these aspects will likely be overlooked at the Academy Awards, but I won’t forget them. And it’s not just Gyllenhaal and Adams giving great performances: Shannon is incredible as his detective character, another likely overlooked performance of his. And we also get the best performance yet from Aaron-Taylor Johnson as the lead creep in the novel depiction. There’s also a great ensemble including Armie Hammer, Jena Malone, Isla Fisher, Laura Linney, Michael Sheen, and Andrea Risenborough, most of whom only have one scene, but still make impacts even if their screen-time is limited. Also the musical score is kinda creepy and stays with you long after the film ends. And one point of discussion that those who have seen the film always have is whether or not the ending is a good one or a disappointing one. For me personally, I thought the ending was kind of perfect. It’s almost exactly what I wanted to happen, and didn’t go for one of those Fatal Attraction (1987) horror movies endings, but rather a truthful one that most people can relate to.
So yes, there are tons of strengths to the movie, from acting to directing to style. Again, that opening five minutes or so, including those damn credits, set the mood for a film that has nothing to do with what actually happens, and in retrospect it came off as a gimmicky way to open the movie weird to set you up for something that doesn’t really follow through. And again the real events in the film, not the interpretation of the manuscript, surrounding Amy Adams’ character doesn’t really pick up until close to halfway through the film. It’s not like the first reel was terrible or anything, but it didn’t catch my attention the way Toby’s story and the tragedy that befalls him does. Otherwise, I don’t really have too many complaints.
So yes, overall this is one of the more effective and captivating thrillers of the year. We get an outstanding ensemble cast that give great performances across the board, and sure, some stick out more than others, but that’s natural, and some great direction from Tom Ford. Of course he’s mostly known for his fashion fame and not so much his film-making, but I think that should change now with Nocturnal Animals. It’s one that may not hit everyone the same way, but for me, it was a pretty great thriller and an unforgettable movie-going experience.
My rating: 8/10.
