Starring Christian Bale as what is probably the most grueling character he has ever played and is directed by Brad Anderson, who you may know from movies like, ‘Fractured’ and ‘Session 9’, The Machinist remains his best work to date.Ĭhristian Bale lost 62 pounds and went on a strict diet of apples, water and coffee daily for the movie, playing the insomniac factory worker, Trevor Reznik. Susan’s career as an art curator further serves as the perfect backdrop for macabre art pieces and dark colors pallets making the scenes in the current time line seem just as ominous, tying in the book’s story to her actual life and implying at the similarity of them both.įord makes this movie, though hard to watch again, extremely unforgettable, and does a great job crafting a panic inducing, claustrophobic environment where the audience feels unsafe and caged in, just as the characters do, especially with its fast editing and unpredictable shifts from the manuscript to the real life timeline of the movie. The movie itself is chockful of symbolism, with even its name alluding to so much more than what the viewers initially assume. Couple the distressing subject matter of the manuscript with Ford’s impressive attention to detail, breathtaking cinematography of the Mojave Desert and the use of vivid maroons peppered throughout the movie and you get a hauntingly beautiful tale of revenge and love lost. The book details a family trip that the fictionalized versions of Tony, Susan and their daughter go on with the contents of the manuscript seemingly getting worse and gory, with themes of regret, betrayal, isolation and most prominently revenge showing up. The movie follows a narrative within a narrative approach by playing out the events of Tony’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) book as his ex-wife Susan (Amy Adams) reads the bone chilling manuscript, and deals with fighting her guilt and resurfacing feelings for her ex-husband. With compelling performances by the star studded cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon (his role earning him an Academy award nomination), Isla Fisher and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the movie plays out all its tricks on the minds of the audience. With its immaculate attention to detail, heavy use of symbolism and glamorous costuming, it’s easy to see why Nocturnal Animals is such a cult classic. The 20th century served as a catalyst for Psychological thrillers, with movies like, ‘Shadow of Doubt’, ‘Strangers on a Train’, ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘Fight Club’, showcasing the different ways the usually paranoid or frenzied characters psychologically battle their demons, be they real or imagined.įrom what was only Tom Ford’s second movie, came one of the most disturbing features of the 2010s. With adept use of misdirection, unreliable narrators, vivid, and often non-linear storylines, these movies challenge the audience’s scope for understanding the convoluted plots. Not only can movies of this genre be unsettling, but they also excel at leaving the audience full of questions, and second guessing themselves, and allow them to expand the parameters of what they think is going on with the plot. What sets this genre apart is its unique ability to engage the audience in such a way that they feel the emotional turmoil of the characters to an exceedingly empathetic level and see how they cope and navigate challenges they are faced with. Psychological Thrillers are not a new genre of movies and have been around for decades, however, the 21st century has seen the refinement of this category with movies which are beyond praiseworthy.
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