Given his background, director Tom Ford's second film is surprising in that it is not a case of style over substance - there isn't too anything flashy for the most part, but the entire film has a subtle stylish quality to it, which flows into the cinematography and the colours used. Added to this though is a gritty, violent thriller with a bit of dark humour thrown in for kicks.
It is clear from the start of the film that Susan, a successful art gallery owner, isn't in a good place mentally. Christ, just look at the opening scene that accompanies the credits! She isn't sleeping, she is losing faith in herself and her career, and possibly her marriage. It is also established quickly that she is financially well-off.
Without warning, a completed book is mailed to her by her ex-husband of 19 years, a man that she says she broke up with in a bad way. Cleverly, the film doesn't show us what that was specifically, instead it uses her ex's book as a sort of prop. The story Edward has written is a dark and violent vengeful tale. Julie takes this personally, and it is hard not to see why when we learn about the similarities in personality between the story's protagonist, Tony, and Edward himself.
It is interesting to watch her reactions as she reads the story, with close-up shots, especially her eyes, showing a lot more than she could ever say. The further into the story she reads, the more it affects her mental well-being. I love the idea of a story within a story (film), which is obviously not a new trend, but this certainly offers a few twists on that basic formula.
What lingers in my mind is how the film slowly reveals itself. The film will occasionally flashback to a moment when Susan was with Edward, and at first the scene won't make a ton of sense. Then later on an event or scene will cause that flashback to fit together, to tell another part of the story. The flashbacks are handled perfectly; Jake Gyllenhaal even looks younger during these scenes, and without the heavy Texan accent he has within the confines of a book, there is no confusion. We always know where we are within the movie.
At first, I thought the ending was extremely premature. But after thinking about it for a bit, it makes perfect sense given the events that preceded it. A unique film to be certain. As for Amy Adams, this is two roles in a row that she has nailed, and each of those roles couldn't be more different. She even looks different here. Gyllenhaal doesn't let us down, unsurprisingly, and Michael Shannon serves as a fine grumbly old detective whose idea of the law becomes slightly warped as the film rolls by.
Impressive, original and well-acted, there isn't a film I can think of to compare this to - which is an infinitely good thing. Stylish where needed and gritty when it counts, this is a multi-faceted film that needs to be seen more than once. And as most of us know, the films you need to watch more than once often end up becoming favourites. The only niggles I have are some aspects of the script and screenplay - a lot of the humour fell flat, and some very tense scenes were undone by some very predictable scenarios, as well as a script that is as sharp as a spoon. Still though, I sure as hell will be watching this one again soon.
www.epilepticmoondancer.net
It is clear from the start of the film that Susan, a successful art gallery owner, isn't in a good place mentally. Christ, just look at the opening scene that accompanies the credits! She isn't sleeping, she is losing faith in herself and her career, and possibly her marriage. It is also established quickly that she is financially well-off.
Without warning, a completed book is mailed to her by her ex-husband of 19 years, a man that she says she broke up with in a bad way. Cleverly, the film doesn't show us what that was specifically, instead it uses her ex's book as a sort of prop. The story Edward has written is a dark and violent vengeful tale. Julie takes this personally, and it is hard not to see why when we learn about the similarities in personality between the story's protagonist, Tony, and Edward himself.
It is interesting to watch her reactions as she reads the story, with close-up shots, especially her eyes, showing a lot more than she could ever say. The further into the story she reads, the more it affects her mental well-being. I love the idea of a story within a story (film), which is obviously not a new trend, but this certainly offers a few twists on that basic formula.
What lingers in my mind is how the film slowly reveals itself. The film will occasionally flashback to a moment when Susan was with Edward, and at first the scene won't make a ton of sense. Then later on an event or scene will cause that flashback to fit together, to tell another part of the story. The flashbacks are handled perfectly; Jake Gyllenhaal even looks younger during these scenes, and without the heavy Texan accent he has within the confines of a book, there is no confusion. We always know where we are within the movie.
At first, I thought the ending was extremely premature. But after thinking about it for a bit, it makes perfect sense given the events that preceded it. A unique film to be certain. As for Amy Adams, this is two roles in a row that she has nailed, and each of those roles couldn't be more different. She even looks different here. Gyllenhaal doesn't let us down, unsurprisingly, and Michael Shannon serves as a fine grumbly old detective whose idea of the law becomes slightly warped as the film rolls by.
Impressive, original and well-acted, there isn't a film I can think of to compare this to - which is an infinitely good thing. Stylish where needed and gritty when it counts, this is a multi-faceted film that needs to be seen more than once. And as most of us know, the films you need to watch more than once often end up becoming favourites. The only niggles I have are some aspects of the script and screenplay - a lot of the humour fell flat, and some very tense scenes were undone by some very predictable scenarios, as well as a script that is as sharp as a spoon. Still though, I sure as hell will be watching this one again soon.
www.epilepticmoondancer.net