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You have to watch this movie without thinking it's going to follow a stereo typical Hollywood pattern. It that really has a darkened effect on the audience and Ford has done an excellent job at attacking the mind

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.

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.

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. ***

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.

Easily the best film I have seen this year. Great performance by all the actors, fantastic plot with a lot of deep meaning and a very atmospheric soundtrack. It's a very unique film. It reminds me of Basic Instinct but without the sex and drugs. It looks like a 90s masterpiece brought from back in time, a solid prove that Tom Ford is a great director.

True love comes once in a lifetime, and we rarely get a second chance. This film is about revenge and personal progress in life, Its about how the decisions of the past can haunt our lives in the future and how the pain we cause to others always comes back to us. This movie sends a strong message to the people who easily give up on other people and never give them a fair chance to shine.

I can't understand why some people rated this movie 1/10, just the performance of the actors and the soundtrack of the film should be enough to give it a solid 5.

At the outset, i should make it clear that i don't think this is a bad film, but i felt the need to add a dissenting voice to the collection of positive reviews that i've read so far.

The film is an amalgamation of elements that should work beautifully, but ultimately resembles one of the sterile offerings to be found in Susan's gallery. The acting is superb throughout, and the nuanced performances of Amy Adams & Jake Gyllenhaal are worthy of their reputations. The subtle transitions from dead and lifeless to young and vibrant, exhibited by the former at various stages of the film, is one of the most striking features of the piece. The film is beautifully shot and well directed, and there are some truly moving scenes in parts. However, as one reviewer has already alluded to, the film feels like it is desperate to say something, but ultimately says very little. Perhaps i just didn't get it at all.

The problem i had was with a lack of emotional connection to either of the main protagonists. It's interesting to find out what happens to both as the film builds, but ultimately i didn't care either way.

My partner and i spent some time examining the film on the way home, discussing the parallels between the story at the heart of the film, and the realities that continue around it, but despite our rudimentary analysis of what each one meant for the other, and an understanding that there are some clever parallels, what remained was the underlying sense of "so what?".

This movie is a vast improvement on the book it was based on, it is much more piercing, intelligent and distilled with some brilliant additions. Cinematography is outstanding, movie is atmospheric and highly stylized, reminiscent of the best works of Hitchcock and Kubrick, with great attention to minute details - deliberate style that comes across as natural, but only on second examination is revealed as extremely deep and thoughtful.

The movie is concerned with Susan, an upper class woman married into wealth, that has since begun to crumble, who leads an empty life, that is falling apart, as she is unloved and deeply unhappy. She receives a novel, written by her ex-husband, who she cruelly abandoned as he was not able to provide the luxury she now lives in, being a "weakling" as a young aspiring writer, in estimation of her overbearing mother. The novel is about some scary rednecks destroying a man's family, after pushing their car off road. It turns out there are clear parallels between the redneck monsters in the story within a story and her actions, driven by her inner selfish monstrosity and cynical and rich mother but with the exact sophistication of an average redneck psychopath. Shattered to the core, after reading the book, she invites her ex to a dinner but is left waiting, and realizes sadly that she is never going to be forgiven, that hell is eternal and that her empty existence now is a karmic payback that she very well deserved for her past shallow choices and selfish crimes.

The movie portrays some of the issues that are in fact pretty common, and the movie is partly underappreciated due to not fitting in the woke-hysteria that was just starting to boil at the time of movie release. But objectively, it is one hell of a masterpiece of sophisticated storytelling, that also carries a message about consequences of the wrong choices people make in life.

It's all about vengence creativity and sorrow and the ending can be interpreted in so many ways , a good show

Nocturnal Animals presents two storylines- one as the main movie plot, the other as novel within the movie - as equivalent moral tales. This equivalence presents a woman's decision to have an abortion on par with the kidnap, rape and murder of a teenager. This equivalence presents the loss a man feels at a woman's decision to leave a relationship on par with losing her through kidnap, rape and murder. Shallow stuff indeed and the types of equivalents used by men to justify their drastic actions at the ending of relationships. Not sure if the writer director subscribes to the shallowness of this perspective or was attempting to highlight this. The absence of any reviews mentioning this means that if it was the latter, it has gone over the audiences collective head.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) is a famous artist who suffers from insomnia but soon her past is about to haunt her. One day she receives a novel from her ex-husband and as she begins to read it she sees it at his attempt at revenge for what she did to him.

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS comes from writer-director Tom Ford and it's certainly going to be a film that people are going to love or hate. There's quite a bit going on in this thriller as there are several story lines going on at the same time and it's never quite clear what exactly is going on. Throughout the movie we see Adams' character reading this novel and as she reads it we see a second story dealing with a man (Jake Gyllenhaal), his wife and their young daughter who are driven off the road by three men. Soon the man is separated and must try to find out what happened to them with the help of a detective (Michael Shannon).

Is this backstory telling what happened between the artist and her ex-husband? Or is there more to it? As all of this is going on we also catch the story of how the two met and what caused them to be married. All of this stuff is held together so perfectly that you almost feel that if one single item was out of place or didn't fit in the end then the entire story would fall apart. The screenplay is an extremely smart one that perfectly goes back and forth between the stories and thankfully the viewer never gets lost. Even better is the fact that the story dealing with the husband and his family is extremely intense and really packs a punch.

The film also has a terrific cast and this certainly helps everything. Adams has several different emotions to play and she once again delivers a very good performance. Gyllenhaal turns in one of the best performances of his career as the rather weak husband who never seems to do the right thing. I really enjoyed the weakness that the actor played as well as the rage as the film went along. Then there's Michael Shannon who once again delivers a masterful performance as the detective with nothing to lose. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Laura Linney and Michael Sheen are also good in their bit parts.

As I said, I'm sure many people are going to watch this and hate everything that happens and especially the ending. I really think this is a wonderful intelligent little gem that certainly makes you think and leaves you wondering long after it is over.

On a bit of a Jake binge, that led me here. You also cant go wrong with Amy Adams. Plus Jenna Malone if you are a fan of the amazing Neon Demon.

The story revolves around a novel containing a fairly OTT crime, but one that leaves room for visually compelling scene-setups. I like how the novel unfolds over several years, and ties in with the regrets over the decisions that the Amy Adams character made over her life. The analogies between her loveless, vacuous and empty life and the novel are pretty apparent.

This is a very compelling film with a very haunting ending. Well worth a watch. Its pretty tough viewing at times though

That's some terrifying stuff right there! Fashion designer Tom Ford has written and directed his second movie, a multifaceted revenge thriller which is even better than his first, 2009's "A Single Man".

Both are visually stylish, of course, which is expected from fashion guru, both have interesting premise and good actors, and both have this cold, unsettling atmosphere which tries to keep the viewer at some distance.

In short, Ford has managed to take everything good from his solid debut project and bring it to the next level with "Nocturnal Animals". It's more lively, gripping, effortlessly cool and deeper.

There are two stories, interwined in a way which may make viewers wonder whether it's real or imagined by the character. But it is ambiguous in a best possible way, not trying to f--k with our minds and then leave us hanging.

An unhappily married woman (Amy Adams) thinks she wants his first husband (Jake Gyllenhaal) back. And she reads his novel, a violent thriller, which seems like a revenge tale. And then things get more, er, complex.

On-screen events are exciting already but Ford the writer turns out surprisingly skillful at making it even varied, without getting stuck or losing steam, or letting us think that we know where all this ends up. He even playfully takes jabs at his main fashion job and the lifestyle and personal sacrifices that come with it.

And the whole result really makes you feel something for the characters, unlike many of the thrillers that only manage to arouse the viewer during their best bits.

It's not mostly about Adams and Gyllenhaal. There is a number of smaller but important characters and cool performances. We have Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Michael Sheen, Laura Linney.

The cast is good enough reason to watch it. Everybody adds something worthwhile to the experience, even Sheen and Fisher and especially Linney who all have rather small roles used to move the story along.

Shannon brings his usual magnetic mix of cool and creepy. Gyllenhaal manages to move between having balls and ball-less state without turning unbelievable or too heroic. Taylor-Johnson as the bad guy even got a Golden Globe for his work (the only one for the movie although Tom Ford got nominated for both best movie / drama and adapted screenplay). He really deserves it, he is evil at its most subtle and delicious. Delicious to watch, I mean.

But I am especially happy about Amy Adams who is often used in the movies as just a pretty face or supporting woman. In 2016, she has had two strong roles, in a thinking man's sci-fi "Arrival", and now this.

Her screen time may be limited but she surely makes the most of it, captivatingly playing out both worlds that the character has hiding inside her. I believed her both as a lively young woman and the jaded older one that's missing all the ideals that she had decided to throw away long time ago.

Based on a novel by Austin Wright which Ford wanted to adapt into two movies initially, one true to original, the other not so much. I am not sure which way he chose ultimately but what a ride, eh?

PS No, I am not giving 9 out of 10 to every movie I watch from now on. The last three have been just some of 2016's best of the best.

Nocturnal Animals is a dark and devilishly stylish thriller from Tom Ford, who knows a thing or two about style having worked as creative director for both Gucci and Yves Saint Lauren in the past. It could have been in danger of being a case of style over substance however, Ford's perfectionism makes this one of the most powerful films I've seen all year.

Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) is an art gallery owner who spends most of her life at home alone, with her husband often out of town on business. When Susan receives a manuscript to a novel written by her ex-husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal), she finds herself immediately engrossed.

As Susan continues to read the novel, she has flashbacks to how her relationship with Edward broke down as well as thoughts that the violent thriller is a veiled threat against her from Edward.

I didn't know what to expect from Nocturnal Animals as I hadn't seen any trailers and Ford's film ended up blowing me away. The way Ford tells the story showcases how inventive and powerful he is as a filmmaker, the narratives of both Susan's life and Edward's novel combining brilliantly and leaving me in a trance like state.

Edward's novel provides the film with its dark soul, the story of Tony Hastings (also played by Jake Gyllenhaal) and his family who run into trouble when travelling through the night on the road to their country home. It's pretty heavy stuff but it plays an essential part in making this such powerful viewing.

This is a gorgeous film to look at as well, Seamus McGarvey's cinematography echoing the story's bleakness and the brutality of Edward's supposed veiled threat to Susan. The combination of the visuals with Abel Korzeniowski's dream-like score heightens the sense of escapism felt by Susan as she reads Edward's novel.

Coming to the performances, Nocturnal Animals features a very impressive ensemble cast all at the top of their game. Amy Adams yet again proves why she's one of the most versatile actresses with a performance that combines the assurance of an art gallery owner with the vulnerability of someone who knows they've made mistakes in their past. With this and Arrival out in the coming months, expect to see Adams get some form of recognition come the awards season, maybe for both.

Adams is joined by Jake Gyllenhaal, who takes on dual roles yet again for this film. Gyllenhaal has really grown as an actor, particularly in the last five years, and its great to see him continue that in Nocturnal Animals, more notably in the role of Tony Hastings, a creation of his other character Edward.

The rest of the cast features a scene stealing Michael Shannon, who I've really grown to appreciate these last few years, a career best performance from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is truly vile as the villainous Ray, and Laura Linney who, even in the short space of time we see her, makes one hell of an impact.

I cannot speak highly enough of Nocturnal Animals, a stylish thriller that has more than enough substance to it. I will definitely be checking out Tom Ford's A Single Man after this and I sure as hell hope we see more work from Ford in the future.

What a marvellous film. Whilst the use of the flashbacks and the intertwining 'book within the movie' metaphor isn't that earth shattering, it's pulled off here immaculately and with fair precision.In a different film, it could have become easily muddled without the same handling. Ever regret messing up or squandering what could have been the love of your life at some point in your life? That's where this film smarts and hurts and reaches its true poignancy. I'd say it will touch a lot of nerves and whilst it can't be felt as a happy or uplifting film, it's skill and it's power to move is hard to deny. Is it a back roads revenge thriller, a morality tale, a sad torch song of unrequited and lost love...? Or maybe it just bears a single message: Love the one you're with.

I hate to say that I understand more than others, but a strong feeling tells me that this is one of those films that maybe in about 10 years, the world of cinema will appreciate its value. Screenplay, Form, direction, technique, content, and other elements of the film. You can talk a lot about each of these concepts in this film separately. But in summary, it can be said that it is good in all of them and very good in some of them and a masterpiece in some of them. Current cinema activists, when they want to comment on this film, should be aware that in their subconscious, they should not feel bad about a fashion artist suddenly entering the world of cinema. What I mean is that if Tom Ford makes a commendable film as soon as he enters the world of cinema, there is no shame in admiring it.

The screenplay of this film is one of those screenplays that its narrative is not an easy task. Our nocturnal animal, Susan, with about 40 years of age, who is a successful artist, and struggles with insomnia; one night after taking a sleeping pill, she begins to read a novel. A novel written by her ex-husband, dedicated to Susan herself, named "Nocturnal Animals". From here, a parallel story is narrated in the film. We see Susan's life struggling with her inner feelings when we simultaneously read the story of this book. The screenwriter does this in a pleasant way for the audience. The beautiful connection between Susan's fate and current feelings, and the story of her acquaintance with her ex-husband, and the story of the novel we are reading at the same time, is shown in a beautiful, philosophical, and psychological way. One of the exceptional good points of this film is that the character development of Susan's character and her actions and reactions are written and shown so deeply and correctly that when watching the film, it causes the audience to have a personal connection with her. That is, considering our personal life, we empathize with Susan. This point is by no means an easy and simple task; but this film does it well. I try not to spoil, but almost all the scenes and dialogues of this film can be analyzed.

If I want to comment on the end of the film without the slightest spoiler, it is: it had the best possible ending.

This film is a drama film, considering the specific meaning that I have in mind for the word drama.