Amy Adams Scores Again in “Nocturnal Animals”
(With Strong Assist from Jake Gyllenhaal)
By Skip Sheffield
Amy Adams has really been on a roll recently. After playing
a brainy linguist who saves the world in “Arrival,” she now shows her glamour
side as a successful avant garde art gallery owner in “Nocturnal Animals.”
Avant garde fashion designer Tom Ford adapted the screenplay
from the novel “Tony and Susan,” by Austin Wright and directed with arty flair. "Nocturnal Animals” is both
a thriller and a very twisted love story. It could also be seen as a satire of
high-end modern art and the upper-crust social world.
This is apparent from the first few frames, as we see a
grossly obese naked women dancing and writhing about. We see the women again on
display as part of an opening show at the high-end Los Angeles art gallery
owned by Susan Morrow (Amy Adams). The naked fat women may seem gross and
revolting, but people are fawning over the “art,” calling it brilliant and
congratulating Susan for curating it.
In reality Susan has come to hate what she does. She lives
in a huge glass mansion overlooking L.A., but it is lonely and sterile. Her
handsome second husband Hutton (Armie Hammer) has made some bad business deals
and squandered most of the couple’s wealth. He snubs Susan’s request for a beach
getaway because he has a “business trip” to New York. We see him there with
another woman.
A package arrives for Susan. It is a manuscript proof for a
novel written by her first husband, Edward Sheffield (Jake Gyllenhaal). Susan
has not seen Edward in 19 years. She dumped him because he was “too weak” and
not ambitious enough. The novel, titled “Nocturnal Animals,” is dedicated to
Susan. It is a violent, horrific story set in the badlands of West Texas. Tony
Hastings, also played by Jake Gyllenhaal, and his wife Laura (Isla Fisher) and
teenage daughter India (Ellie Barber) are traveling to Tony’s family home in
his vintage Mercedes-Benz. In the middle of nowhere they are menaced by two
cars full of rednecks. Their car is damaged, forced off the road, and then it
really gets bad.
The story flashes back and forth between Tony in Texas and
Susan in L.A. There are also flashbacks to Susan and Edward’s initial romance
and breakup. Susan had discouraged Edward from being a writer. The novel can be
seen as his ultimate revenge.
The movie is meticulously cast, with Michael Shannon riveting as a cancerous Texas detective who tries to help Tony bring to justice
the three creeps who raped and killed his wife and daughter. Aaron
Taylor-Johnson is creepy-scary as the main thug. Providing comic relief is
Michael Sheen as Carlos, a gay trophy husband to a glittery socialite (Andrea
Riseborough). Laura Linney is chilling as Susan’s icy mom.
“Nocturnal Animals” is certainly not for everyone. The
violence is sickening, and so is the modern art. The visuals by cinematographer
Seamus McGarvey are spellbinding. So is Amy Adams, coming to the realization of
the horrible life mistakes she has made. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers the most
powerful performance of his career in the dual role of Edward/Tony. One thing
for sure, “Nocturnal Animals” is never boring- if you can take it.
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