Nocturnal Animals Blu-ray Review
Michael A. Smith
March 28th, 2017
The choices we make in life often take years to show us if we were right or wrong. Sometimes we know right away and others we end up hearing “I told you so.” Thus is the story of NOCTURNAL ANIMALS.
After a very unusual opening few minutes that feature a series of mostly nude rotund women we meet Susan Morrow (Adams). We are in her art gallery where the ladies are on display. Afterwards she returns to the dark, opulent home she shares with her handsome businessman husband, Hutton (Armie Hammer). Like their life together, the once bright house is now dark and quiet. When she receives a package from her ex-husband, she is intrigued to discover that he has written a novel, dedicated to her and named after his nickname for her – “Nocturnal Animals.”
In my opinion the best-acted film of 2016, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS is actually two movies in one. One film concerns itself with Susan, her husband and, through flashbacks, her relationship with her ex-husband, Edward (Gyllenhaal). The other is Edward’s novel, brought to life as Susan reads it. It features a family that is run off the road by a trio of knuckleheads with horrific results. The father of the family, Tony, is also played by Gyllenhaal and he gives a powerful performance here. Also strong here is Michael Shannon as the lean and mean Texas cop who helps Tony in the darkest moments of his life. Like Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon has grown into one of my favorite actors. He blew me away last year by portraying the King of Rock and Roll in ELVIS AND NIXON and here he smoothly transforms into a hardened, chain smoking lawman. Shannon richly earned the Academy Award nomination he received for his work here.
Credit must also be given to Amy Adams, who gives a well nuanced, yet still emotionally gut-wrenching. She also gave a great performance last year in the very, in my opinion, overrated film ARRIVAL, and I think the fact that she was in two prime end-of-the-year films may have split the vote come Oscar nomination time. Supporting work by Isla Fischer, Laura Linney, Jenna Malone, Michael Sheen and an almost unrecognizable Aaron Taylor-Johnson contribute to the film’s acting pedigree. Technically the film always excels. Whether it’s the use of light and shadows to show happiness or the barren Texas landscape/lonely big house to evoke emptiness, the production values help tell the story. A strong musical score by Abel Korzeniowski also helps to set the tone.
Writer/director Tom Ford shows even more promise with this, his sophomore effort, following 2009’s A SINGLE MAN. He allows his cameras to become a part of the scenery so that you are not only observing what is happening on screen, you are a part of it. As both stories intertwine more and more, you find yourself lost in them, hoping for the best for both Susan and Tony. Their stories may not always be a happy ones, but they are easily, hands down, among the best that 2016 had to offer.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: The film is presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio and is well presented. The film has a gloomy tone to it and the video image helps project it.
Audio: The soundtrack is presented in DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 and is well mixed. Quiet sounds, from whispers in a dark room to the Texas prairies at night, come through loud and clear.
The Making of Nocturnal Animals (11:18): Three short featurettes highlight the production of the film featuring interviews with cast and crew. SPOILER ALERT: I’d recommend watching this after you’ve seen the film.
