32-491: Nocturnal Animals is a 2016 American neo-noir psychological thriller film written, produced, and directed by Tom Ford in his second feature, based on the 1993 novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright . The film stars Amy Adams , Jake Gyllenhaal , Michael Shannon , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Isla Fisher , Armie Hammer , Laura Linney , Andrea Riseborough , and Michael Sheen . The plot follows an art gallery owner as she reads
64-597: A difficult situation and making choices out of desperation or nihilistic moral systems . Visual elements included low-key lighting , striking use of light and shadow , and unusual camera placement. Sound effects helped create the noir mood of paranoia and nostalgia. Few major films in the classic film noir genre have been made since the early 1960s. These films usually incorporated both thematic and visual elements reminiscent of film noir . Both classic and neo-noir films are often produced as independent features . After 1970, film critics took note of "neo-noir" films as
96-538: A filmmaker was the idea of this device of communicating to someone through a work of fiction. Through a written work of fiction. And thereby communicating something that they had not been able to really communicate clearly. I loved that concept." Jake Gyllenhaal was set to star in the dual lead roles, Amy Adams was in talks for the female lead role, and sources confirmed that Joaquin Phoenix and Aaron Taylor-Johnson might be cast in other roles. Focus Features acquired
128-644: A movie that completely envelops its audience. That's no mean feat." Maltin also singled out Michael Shannon as giving "another great performance." Writing for Rolling Stone , Peter Travers rated the film 3 1 ⁄ 2 -stars-out-of-4 and stated: "Tom Ford hits it out of the park with a stunning film noir that resonates with ghostly, poetic terror. Don't overthink what Ford has so cunningly crafted. Surrender to it. Cheers to cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, composer Abel Korzeniowski and especially editor Joan Sobel who help Ford weave multiple stories into one darkly funny, visually dazzling piece." Travers also singled out
160-428: A movie's timeline has almost become a cliché. Yet in his second film, Tom Ford has not only mastered a tricky narrative but establishes two separate, completely tangible environments. What's more, he maintains a consistent tone for both facets of this seductive story. This movie represents a daring walk on the high wire by a man who has more than proven himself as a filmmaker. It's not just an accomplished piece of work but
192-490: A nearby farmhouse to call the police. Detective Roberto "Bobby" Andes is assigned to the case and with Tony, discovers the bodies of Laura and India near an abandoned shack, where they had been raped and murdered. Tony is wracked with guilt. He is contacted by Andes a year later and is asked to identify Lou, who was caught in a botched robbery and is charged as an accomplice in Laura and India's murders. Turk has been fatally shot in
224-655: A piece of gynophobic death-porn?" Neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term "neo-noir" surged in popularity, fueled by movies such as Sydney Pollack 's Absence of Malice , Brian De Palma 's Blow Out , and Martin Scorsese 's After Hours . The French term film noir translates literally to English as "black film", indicating sinister stories often presented in
256-474: A presentation of obese majorettes dancing vigorously while naked. Susan receives a proof of a novel written by her estranged ex-husband Edward Sheffield along with an invitation for dinner during Edward's upcoming visit to Los Angeles . Upset by her deteriorating marriage to unfaithful businessman Hutton Morrow, Susan becomes consumed by the novel, which is dedicated to her and named Nocturnal Animals after Edward's nickname for her. In this novel, Tony Hastings
288-606: A separate genre. Noir and post-noir terminology (such as " hard-boiled ", "neo-classic" and the like) are often rejected by both critics and practitioners. Robert Arnett stated, "Neo-noir has become so amorphous as a genre/movement, any film featuring a detective or crime qualifies." Screenwriter and director Larry Gross identifies Jean-Luc Godard 's Alphaville , alongside John Boorman 's Point Blank (1967) and Robert Altman 's The Long Goodbye (1973), based on Raymond Chandler 's 1953 novel, as neo-noir films. Gross believes that they deviate from classic noir in having more of
320-471: A shadowy cinematographic style. Neo-noir has a similar style but with updated themes, content, style, and visual elements. The neologism neo-noir, using the Greek prefix for the word new , is defined by Mark Conard as "any film coming after the classic noir period that contains noir themes and noir sensibility". Another definition describes it as later noir that often synthesizes diverse genres while foregrounding
352-461: A sociological than a psychological focus. Neo noir features characters who commit violent crimes, but without the motivations and narrative patterns found in film noir . Neo noir assumed global character and impact when filmmakers began drawing elements from films in the global market. For instance, Quentin Tarantino 's works have been influenced by Ringo Lam 's 1987 classic City on Fire . This
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#1732855346776384-406: A thriller, Nocturnal Animals , based on Austin Wright 's 1993 novel Tony and Susan . Tom Ford was set to direct the film, based on his own script. Ford said that the storytelling concept of the novel appealed to him, explaining, "The film is very different than the book it's based on. However, the central themes are the same, meaning that when I read the book, what appealed to me as a writer and
416-531: A worldwide total of $ 32.4 million. The film had its North American wide release on December 9, 2016, and was projected to open to $ 3–5 million. It ended up grossing $ 3.2 million, finishing 7th at the box office. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 74% based on 302 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Well-acted and lovely to look at, Nocturnal Animals further underscores writer-director Tom Ford's distinctive visual and narrative skill." On Metacritic ,
448-450: Is a family man who runs afoul of three local troublemakers – Ray Marcus, Lou, and Turk – during a road trip through West Texas . After being forced off the road, Tony is powerless to stop Ray and Turk from kidnapping his wife, Laura, and their daughter, India, leaving him with Lou, who forces him to drive Ray's car to the end of a road where he is abandoned. Tony manages to evade Ray and Lou when they return looking for him and makes his way to
480-431: Is already involved with Hutton and divorces Edward. She chooses to abort her pregnancy with Edward's child and marry Hutton. In the present day, Susan finishes reading the novel and arranges a meeting with Edward at a restaurant. Edward does not show up, and Susan waits alone as the restaurant empties. On March 24, 2015, it was announced that Smokehouse Pictures ' partners George Clooney and Grant Heslov would produce
512-409: Is considered to be one of the defining authors of hard-boiled fiction. Both novels were adapted as crime films, the former more than once. Cain is quoted as saying, "I belong to no school, hard-boiled or otherwise, and I believe these so-called schools exist mainly in the imagination of critics, and have little correspondence in reality anywhere else." Neo-noir film directors refer to 'classic noir' in
544-694: The 73rd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2016, where it won the Grand Jury Prize . The film also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2016, and at the BFI London Film Festival on October 14, 2016. The film was released in the United States on November 18, 2016. Nocturnal Animals grossed $ 10.7 million in the United States and Canada and $ 21.7 million in other countries for
576-479: The US distribution rights to the film on May 17, 2015, while Universal Pictures would handle the international distribution. Focus' deal was made with $ 20 million, making this the biggest deal of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival , and one of the biggest of the mid 2010s. On August 6, 2015, Taylor-Johnson was confirmed to play a mysterious character who poses a threat to Gyllenhaal's character Tony's family, while Michael Shannon
608-412: The film five stars, praising the performances and the direction, and stating, " Nocturnal Animals is extraordinarily deft in the way it combines romanticism and bleakness. It's a film that easily could have slipped into extreme pretentiousness but it never puts a foot wrong." Leonard Maltin wrote very positively of the film: "At one time it was normal to tell a story from beginning to end; now, juggling
640-512: The film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised the film, stating "Tom Ford's first film since A Single Man is another winner", and complimenting the performances of Gyllenhaal, Adams, Shannon and Taylor-Johnson. Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood praised Adams, Gyllenhaal, Shannon, and Taylor-Johnson's performances, as well as Ford's screenplay and direction. Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent awarded
672-581: The new novel written by her first husband and begins to see the similarities between it and their former relationship. Principal photography began in Los Angeles on October 5, 2015. The film premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival main competition on September 2, 2016, where it won the Grand Jury Prize . Nocturnal Animals was released in North America on November 18, 2016, by Focus Features . It received positive reviews, with praise for
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#1732855346776704-437: The performances and Ford's direction, and grossed over $ 32 million worldwide. Shannon earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 89th Academy Awards . It also received nine BAFTA Award nominations and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay , plus a Best Supporting Actor win for Aaron Taylor-Johnson . Susan Morrow owns an upscale Los Angeles art gallery. Her current show involves
736-410: The performances of the cast: "The actors could not be better. Gyllenhaal, in two roles, dives deep into the wells of perceived masculine weakness. And Adams takes Susan from dewy college girl to hardened ice queen without missing a stop or a nuance in between. She's spectacular." Victoria Coren Mitchell of The Guardian opposed the popular critical opinion, saying "Why all these raves and prizes for
768-521: The same robbery, leaving Ray as the last culprit to be brought to justice. Andes arrests Ray but is forced to release him as they have only circumstantial evidence of his involvement. On the verge of retirement and having been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Andes decides to take matters into his own hands. Although Tony is initially less than fully aware of Andes' plan, he goes along with it. The two abduct Ray and Lou. Andes shoots Lou dead when he attempts to flee, but Ray escapes. Tony tracks down Ray to
800-598: The scaffolding of film noir . " Film noir " was coined by critic Nino Frank in 1946 and popularized by French critics Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton in 1955. The term revived in general use beginning in the 1980s, with a revival of the style. The classic film noir era is usually dated from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. The films were often adaptations of American crime novels, which were also described as " hardboiled ". Some authors resisted these terms. For example, James M. Cain , author of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) and Double Indemnity (1944),
832-523: The shack where Laura and India were killed. Ray admits to raping and murdering Tony's wife and daughter, calling him weak. Tony fatally shoots him but is blinded when Ray hits him on the head with a fire poker. Tony stumbles outside, shoots himself in the abdomen after falling on his gun, and dies. Shocked by the dark content and raw emotion of the novel, Susan reminisces about meeting Edward in college and their blossoming relationship, which Susan's domineering mother Anne Sutton objected to, claiming that Edward
864-603: The street from Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California . The company signed a long-term production and development agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Bros. Television in July 2006. In June 2009, the company signed an exclusive two-year theatrical development and production deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment . In March 2023, the company returned to Warner Bros. for an overall film deal. This article about an American film distributor or production company
896-431: The use of Dutch angles , interplay of light and shadows, unbalanced framing ; blurring of the lines between good and bad and right and wrong , and thematic motifs including revenge , paranoia , and alienation . Typically American crime dramas or psychological thrillers , films noir had common themes and plot devices, and many distinctive visual elements. Characters were often conflicted antiheroes , trapped in
928-532: Was added to the cast. On October 5, 2015, Karl Glusman signed on to star in the film. On October 8, 2015, Peter Nyong'o was also cast in the film. Principal photography began in Los Angeles on October 5, 2015. The final scene in the Japanese restaurant was filmed in the main building of the Yamashiro Historic District . Filming wrapped on December 5, 2015. Nocturnal Animals had its world premiere at
960-413: Was also added to the cast, playing a detective investigating the violent incident. On August 28, 2015, Armie Hammer also joined the cast of the film, to play Hutton Morrow, Adams' character's husband. On September 9, 2015, Isla Fisher joined the film to play Laura Hastings, Tony's wife. On September 18, 2015, Ellie Bamber was cast in the film to play Tony's daughter. On September 30, 2015, Robert Aramayo
992-556: Was not worthy of Susan's affections and that because of his romantic world view, he lacked the drive to achieve his goals; Susan ignored her mother's objections, eventually marrying Edward. After finding further evidence of Hutton's extramarital affair, Susan resumes her reading of the manuscript and begins to recall her troubled marriage to Edward, which was strained by her frustration with his fledgling career and her dismissive attitude towards his literary aspirations. Edward still loves her and attempts to repair their relationship, but Susan
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1024-535: Was particularly the case for the noir-inflected Reservoir Dogs , which was instrumental in establishing Tarantino in October 1992. Smokehouse Pictures Smokehouse Pictures is an American film and television production company. The company was founded in 2006 by George Clooney and Grant Heslov after the shutdown of Section Eight Productions . Its name is taken from the Smoke House restaurant, located across
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