Watch the crazy all-new trailer for THE BRIDE! below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

A lonely Frankenstein (Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious (five-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening) to create a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman and The Bride (Buckley) is born. What ensues is beyond what either of them imagined: Murder! Possession! A wild and radical cultural movement! And outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance!

Taking audiences into the raging, free-spirited and rough and tumble gangster era of 1930s America, Gyllenhaal spins a all-new take on Bride of Frankenstein and the Frankenstein mythos as she pumps up the volume, and delivers a gothic-tinged modern tale that is piure Bonnie & Clyde with a good mix of traumatic Sid & Nancy toxic romance thrown in, and THE BRIDE! is shaping up to be one of 2026’s wildest releases!

With its exuberant lighting, flowing costuming, and completely rated-R violence and intensity, THE BRIDE! is a feature that will really give audiences a shock, and they’re not going to be ready for what arrives in this film. The focus of the trailer is on Jessie Buckley, the Irish actress who has taken the performing world by storm, and who, following her Academy Award-nominated performance in Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, is now being tipped to be an Oscar frontrunner again with 2026’s Hamnet.

Buckley goes utterly crazy in THE BRIDE!, and she fully commits to this resurrected character who is pulled into a dark, dangerous and deranged world not of her choosing, and she really turns up the volume in terms of performance. Her performance is juxtaposed with that of Academy Award-winning actor Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster, now calling himself Frankie, who pulls the Bride into his savage life…. and it’s clear that there won’t be a lot of sympathy coming Frank’s way, as it appears he’s not a full-on monster.

 

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Get ready for the unexpected and a whole heap of utterly wild and crazy moments when THE BRIDE! arrives in cinemas next year in March 2026.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal), an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang, working for crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen), from destroying her beloved bar. Even five to one, Brandt’s crew is no match for Dalton’s skills. But the stakes get higher with the arrival of ruthless gun-for-hire, Knox (Conor McGregor). As the brutal brawls and bloodshed escalate, the tropical Keys prove more dangerous than anything Dalton ever faced in the Octagon.

Regarding 1980s action classics, Road House ranks up there as one of the all-time great cheesy action watches. Starring the late great Patrick Swayze as Dalton, the ‘best damn cooler in the game’, Road House was the ultimate cheesy-action picture thanks to its classic lines, smash-mouth brawls and Swayze’s immense swagger. Now director, Doug Liman, a noted action filmmaker with credits including The Bourne Identity, Jumper and American Made, and all-star American A-lister Jake Gyllenhaal are here to revamp Road House for an all-new era. And this action pic packs a punch. Moving the action from the cowboy patch of Missouri to the sun-kissed sand of the Florida Keys, Liman reinvents 2024’s Road House in the vein of a western with his Dalton as a wandering cowboy tough guy who finds his way into a small town with plenty of bad juju who then has to put things right with his fists and plenty of brawn.

Liman’s approach to 2024’s Road House is driven by the fact that he’s very aware of the film’s reputation, and his desire is definitely to make a film that holds up to the original’s classic macho swag but also to inject it with a new energy and setting that makes it equal parts grittier and sexier in good measure. In describing Road House, the best word to sum it up is certainly ‘swagger’, and there’s plenty of it with this all-action piece of fun. The punches land hard, the heroes are slick as can be, the explosions are loud, and the villains are absolute maniacs. Throw in a dash of love and one hell of a brawl, and well, things get fun. What you’ve got with Road House is just a full dose of pop-corn action movie excitement, and it’s a wild ride from beginning to end.

Stepping up to take on the door and jump into the breach from the great Patrick Swayze is Jake Gyllenhaal, one of Hollywood’s reigning golden boys, and damn, is he having a good time with this picture. Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton is a former UFC fighter with a checkered and brutal past that has left him as a broken, bitter and haunted man. With nothing left, he takes a job at a run-down Road House in the Florida Keys, where things get interesting. Gyllenhaal embodies the classic cowboy, John Wayne spirit with his take on Dalton, and he’s got the grit and the power to not back down from a fight. And he’s freaking JACKED as well! All of it leaves him as a formidable hero with something to prove, and when he sees that bad things are happening, he can’t help but step up.

Two-time UFC champion Conor McGregor is facing down Gyllenhaal’s Dalton and making his screen debut as the unhinged, aggressive and maniacal Knox. And damn, does he have a blast in this picture. McGregor’s mantra has long been that ‘he’s here to take over’, and he damn well delivers with his performance as Knox, a violent, psychopathic mercenary who has a speciality for roughing people up, and all while having a good time doing it. The part of Knox was tailor-made for McGregor, and he absolutely goes for it with this performance, taking his natural extroverted energy and throwing it into this wild and off-the-chain character. He also makes for a hell of a villain for Gyllenhaal’s Dalton to take on, and damn do they rumble. McGregor goes for it here in Road House, and Hollywood had better watch out because he’s coming for the belt and is ready to make his mark on the acting game.

Road House offers up action, action and more action, and for film junkies who are in need of their fix, well, they’ll get it with this picture. We’re talking about fist fighting, bar smashing, body bashing, explosive wrecking fun, and all of it ramps up the experience and adrenaline of Road House. The crux of it comes down to the mano-o-mano fight between Gyllenhaal’s Dalton and McGregor’s Knox, and it’s a beatdown of epic proportions. Both fighters throw in a mix of full-on mixed martial arts mayhem, and Liman’s camera work puts you right in the middle of the fight. But there ain’t no belt in this bout, and it’s winner-take-all in the biggest, baddest brawl of the year!

Road House is just a straight-up good dose of fun, and audiences out for a good time will get it with this one. Thanks to a combination of a modern-day cowboy hero who has stepped out of the Octagon and onto the door looking for a fight, an outlandish uber-villain keen for a scrap, and some totally wild action set pieces, Road House is just straight-up over-the-top fun delivered in the best way possible.

Image: Prime Video

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After his unit is ambushed in Afghanistan, American Special Forces soldier Sgt. John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) finds himself indebted to local interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). When it becomes clear to Kinley that Ahmed and his family will be left behind and at the mercy of the Taliban, Kinley mounts a dramatic rescue message to get his friend out alive.

As the king of machismo filmmaking, Guy Ritchie has inherited the seat of stalwarts such as the great John Sturgess and Sam Peckinpah, and he’s a director who works at pace. His films are filled with tough guy characters, back-and-forth banter, crazy action elements and flawless sartorial style. And The Covenant is a picture where Ritchie seeks to challenge all of that. Trading his usual cockney gangsters for the war-torn battlefield of Afghanistan and the War on Terror, Ritchie tells a deeply brave and emotional story of loyalty under heavy fire. The Covenant is a picture that seeks to honour the warrior ethos. It’s a story of absolute true grit as two men from entirely different worlds have to set aside their differences in order to survive the pure horrors of modern warfare.

Front and centre in The Covenant is Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley, an American Special Forces soldier who is tasked with destroying Taliban munitions. Brash, stern and slightly jaded, Kinley is a man who doesn’t suffer fools and who thinks he has all the answers. But when fate takes a different turn, Kinley soon finds himself indebted to a man he hardly knows, and his military honour won’t let him forget it. Gyllenhaal has a long history of portraying military men, and you see all of these experiences go into this role. He also benefits from Ritchie’s ‘man of few words’ style, and Kinley’s mission is a tough one that pushes Gyllenhaal as a performer. It’s clear that Gyllenhaal is aware of the gravitas of this picture, and he brings his A-game to the narrative.

Playing opposite Gyllenhaal’s Kinley is Dar Salim as Ahmed, a local Afghan interpreter whose reasons for taking on such a dangerous task are not so clear. From the start, there’s a broad contrast between Kinley and Ahmed and Ritchie focuses on this heavily. But when all hell breaks lose, and Kinley’s life is suddenly thrust into Ahmed’s care, this man proves himself to be a brother to his comrade, and the two of them set off on a journey that will change their lives forever. Salim brings quiet confidence and strength to the role of Ahmed, and his loyalty to his family and country is absolute. His performance is incredibly respectful of the Afghan interpreters who fearlessly faced the terrorist insurgency, and there’s nothing he won’t sacrifice to protect his family.

While Gyllenhaal and Salim are the principal players, The Covenant also has a great supporting cast lined up. Alexander Skarsgard puts in a good turn as Kinley’s superior, Sgt. Declan O’Brady who misses the field and acts as a conscience to Kinley. Antony Starr has considerable swagger as private military contractor Eddie Parker, who becomes Kinley’s ‘boots on the ground’ support and brings a solid authority to the picture. And finally, Emily Beecham brings considerable empathy to the role of Kinley’s wife, Caroline, who reminds her husband of the oath that he owes to Ahmed and pushes her husband to do the right and difficult thing when all seems lost.

Ritchie finds the right balance of drama and action with The Covenant, and both are delivered on-screen with explosive force. Known as a bit of gearhead and with an eye for detail, Ritchie gets the combat of the picture right, and there are plenty of CQB gunfights to keep audiences engaged. Paired with the filmmaker’s innovative camera work and the desire to keep things ‘creative’, leads to plenty of intense moments. The film’s third act is filled with BOOM in a do-or-die gunfight between Kinley and Ahmed and an army of terrorist insurgents. Matched to the action is a deeply dramatic story that focuses on themes of honour, loyalty and a debt that needs to be repaid, and The Covenant is an emotionally stirring picture.

The Covenant is an altogether different kind of film experience from Guy Ritchie, and audiences will fully embrace it. It’s a movie whose story is ripped from real-world headlines, and it honours the soldiers and interpreters who sacrificed so much when going down range.

Image: Prime Video

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In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, decorated veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t—his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal). A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. With his wife’s survival on the line, Will can’t say no.

If Michael Bay has one special talent as a filmmaker it’s throwing everything at the cinema canvas and taking audiences for the ride of their lives in blockbuster after blockbuster, and his latest work, the high stakes action-thriller Ambulance, is sure to have your adrenal gland working overtime. With this latest blockbuster, Bay wastes no time in gearing up and he throws his audience straight into the action right from the opening frame. Bay sets the scene with a pair of long lost brothers, The Sharps, Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), whose criminal past and family life has seen them split apart until desperate times force them back together. Pulled into a bank robbery as an unwilling pawn, Will, goes along with Danny’s scheme. Everything is running fine until it doesn’t and soon the bullets start flying and the audience is thrown into one hell of a storm.

Following the robbery, which quickly goes to hell, Bay throws Danny and Will, two fugitives who are armed to the teeth and have all of LA law closing in around them into a surprise ambulance, which is overseen by ace EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza Gonzalez), who is trying to save the life of a police officer who was shot in the midst of their botched robbery. And it’s here where things get interesting. Kinetic and fast-moving, Ambulance is a film that puts its foot on the accelerator and doesn’t let it off for a moment. Bay throws tension at the audience from every angle and as the chase moves forward things go from bad to worse, and the chaos closes in around our three passengers, you feel every single moment of this frantic action thriller and damn does Bay provide you with a rush!

Ambulance is effective as an action thriller because Bay invests in a story device that I like to label ‘action as narrative’. This is where the narrative is contained within the action and the pulsing beats, alongside the daring car chases, countless explosions and bursts of automatic gunfire, add to expressing the story. And this is exactly where Ambulance sits. With three characters who are out on the edge and stuck in a steel cage of a rolling ambulance that is travelling at speed across Los Angeles, the stakes could not be higher, and minute by minute the intensity ramps up. Ambulance is a film that delivers on a magnified level of suspense and Bay places a vice-like grip on his audience’s attention. There are plenty of moments, from an explosive gunfight on the streets of Los Angeles to freeway car smashing action, to an intense, visceral, and bloody open body surgery that will make you jump up in your seat, and all of it is a part of this rollercoaster experience of a movie.

Stepping onto the screen as charismatic bank robber Danny Sharp is Jake Gyllenhaal and the twisted and snappy character of Danny gives Gyllenhaal a lot of room to work in. Trading as a luxury sports car dealer, Danny is in fact a seasoned criminal and bank robber with a long family history tied to the Los Angeles criminal underworld. Longing for the gold ol’ days with his younger brother Will, and to make one hell of score, he soon finds himself in the crosshairs of LA law enforcement and that’s when things get crazy. Gyllenhaal moves from charismatic and cool to vindictive and frenzied quickly and he’s no man to be messed with. With a hair-trigger temper and an even quicker trigger finger, Danny is a criminal on edge and he makes for an intimidating antagonist, and with Gyllenhaal’s show of intensity and unpredictability in the role, audiences are certainly kept on edge.

Sitting across from Danny is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Will Sharp, Danny’s younger adoptive brother who walked out on him and their family’s criminal past a long time ago, but who now in desperation is drawn back to his brother’s criminal impulses. Where Danny is the impulse of Ambulance, Will is the film’s conscious. Abdul-Mateen II’s Will is a direct contradiction to Gyllenhaal’s Danny and their back and forth, which ranges from a close brotherhood bond to a vindictive and situation-induced hatred for one another keeps you on edge as an audience member. Abdul-Mateen II also shares a great chemistry with Gyllenhaal and you easily buy into their shared past as brothers as his stance as a good man in a bad situation tests his ability as a performer.

Stuck in between the Sharp brothers and staring into the barrel of a gun is Eiza Gonzalez as quick-thinking and wipsmart EMT Cam Thompson. Regarded as the best EMT working on the job, but who has a problem dealing with people and just compartmentalizing the carnage that she has to deal with day in and day out, Gonzalez’s Cam soon finds herself in the middle of an even more hectic situation and she becomes a foil for Danny and Will’s escape. While she might have a gun pointed at her, Cam is in no way any type of victim and she gets right in Danny’s face, especially when it comes to keeping the wounded cop alive in the back of her ambulance, the only insurance that Danny and Will have of any chance of survival. The narrative and fast pace of Ambulance certainly test Gonzalez as a performer and she stands up to the pressure and delivers a solid performance.

With Ambulance you’re very much a participant in the action and narrative of this fast-paced blockbuster and during the extreme moments of this film, you feel like you’re fully immersed in it, rather than just being a mere spectator. Bay holds nothing back with this bold and intense piece of cinema and you can literally smell the gun powder as he turns the streets of Los Angeles into a wrecking yard and things get crazier by the minute. While the carnage is mad and in your face, Bay’s reliance on practical effects makes the intensity of this film real, and there’s no doubting that the chaos that he orchestrates is anything but authentic. Bay makes Ambulance a true blockbuster spectacle and it’s a pulse-pounding experience to witness up close.

By the time the credits begin to roll on Ambulance, your adrenal gland will be working overtime and the adrenaline will be surging through your veins. This is a blockbuster film that doesn’t stop for a second and it’s one hell of a fun ride.

Image: Universal Pictures

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Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the next chapter of the Spider-Man: Homecoming series! Our friendly neighbourhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned (Jacob Batalon), MJ (Zendaya), and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter’s plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgingly agrees to help Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks, creating havoc across the continent!

We’ve all wondered what would happen after the events of Avengers: Endgame, just what would come next? Spider-Man: Far From Home is the answer and it promises plenty of interesting detail. While it is a blockbuster on an international scope that is jam-packed full of action, director Jon Watts doesn’t go for the high-level heroics of The Avengers, instead he continues with his ground-level view of a hero who is still coming into his position as an Avenger, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has some serious lessons to learn about responsibility here. As a filmmaker tasked with bringing the story of this generation’s Spider-Man to the big screen, Watts approaches the growing Spider-Man saga with an amazing passion and it really shines through on screen. From the intimate desire for first love to the adrenaline of action-packed superheroics, Watts devotes himself completely to the narrative and it results in incredible entertainment.

Tom Holland is again the star of the show here, and Holland’s Peter Parker has been through a hell of a lot lately, most importantly losing his beloved father figure in Tony Stark to a sacrificial choice that saved the universe itself. Now with Tony gone, Peter has to figure out what’s next for him as a superhero crime fighter and this leads to plenty of interesting moments. While it’s always fun to see Holland jumping from buildings and slinging webs, the real interest in Spider-Man: Far From Home comes from the reconciliation that he has to face with the void left by Tony’s absence. While he may be a teenager looking for love and adventure, he also has newfound responsibilities, and this creates plenty of drama for audiences and leads to a very interesting watch.

Father figures play a crucial part in the Spider-Man myth, and if Tony was Peter’s adoptive father, then Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury happens to be the new mean stepfather, and he ain’t got time for Peter’s petty teenage life when the fate of the world is at stake. Whatever Jackson does it always leads to genius and here as the uber gruff Fury audiences will be in for a real treat. While Peter is looking forward to a vacation, Fury has to save the Earth again and this collision between these two characters leads to plenty of hysterics here. It’s fun to watch Jackson and Holland play-off of one another and you can also expect some pretty epic bits of dialogue from Jackson as well.

If Nick Fury is the mean stepdad, then Jake Gyllenhaal’s Quentin Beck is the cool uncle and Gyllenhaal brings plenty of charisma to the big screen here. As a soldier from a parallel universe called Earth-833 who has arrived on Earth to stop the marauding Elementals, Gyllenhaal’s Beck takes on the guise of the ultra-powered, ultra cool Mysterio and his powers are pretty damn epic to see up on the big screen. This Hollywood leading man is certainly having a blast here, and he strikes up a great chemistry with Holland as he takes the young Peter Parker under his wing and helps him along with his journey as Spider-Man. Gyllenhaal absolutely commands the audience’s attention here in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and he’s got a few surprises up his sleeve as Mysterio that definitely leaves an impression.

At its heart Spider-Man: Far From Home is a road movie and Peter and his classmates get up to some serious fun as they travel across Europe on what’s supposed to be a vacation. This all-new European setting lends itself to a whole new level of comedy, and Spider-Man: Far From Home is an absolute laugh factory. Watts again has very capable control of what’s going on here, and watching Far From Home reminded me of the likes of classic comedy films such as National Lampoon’s Vacation for its jaw-dropping hilarity. It’s a real treat.

Alongside the laughs, romance also blossoms while on vacation and it’s here that the teen movie genre takes off. While Peter vies for the affection of MJ (Zendeya), it’s his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) who finds love with fellow classmate Betty Brant (Angourie Rice), and their chemistry and antics up on screen are just adorable to watch. Watts really captures the awkwardness that comes with first love and it’s fun to watch these characters fumble through their feelings of teenage romance, while also seeing the attraction and character development that comes with it. As a supporting star, Zendaya’s MJ again is a great foil for Peter Parker’s affections and it’s fun to see them up on screen together.

And if you’re looking for action, well, you’ve come to the right place, because Spider-Man: Far From Home delivers some massive thrills, and they sure do get your adrenaline up! The European canvas of the film’s setting provides a landscape for some particularly awesome moments up on screen, and watching Spider-Man and Mysterio trade blows with the Elementals sure is a lot of fun. However it’s the Berlin action sequence that makes for one hell of a mind trip and it’s twisty, combative presence is really fun to watch. As he’s also in Europe Peter gets another costume update this time as well, and it’s fun to watch him, retrofit a new Spidey suit which comes with plenty of fun gadgets.

From beginning to end, Spider-Man: Far From Home is a blast to watch and it’ll definitely get you amped for what is to come next in the MCU. With a terrific narrative, a wonderful cast, hilarious comedy and plenty of blockbuster action you’ll want to see this one on the biggest screen possible.

Image: Sony Pictures

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Set in the not so distant future, Life follows the activities of a group of astronauts and scientists on the International Space Station, as they discover a brand new alien discovery from the planet Mars. But their initial celebration soon turns into a mission of critical containment, as their discovery turns against them, threatening the very existence of the Earth itself.

If you’re looking for a sci-fi thriller horror ride then Life is worth your money. Throughout its engaging 103 minutes, Espinosa takes audience expectations and throws it back in their faces with some intriguing twists and breathtaking scares.

Espinosa and noted screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have crafted a well-thought haunted house of a movie that focuses on a core group of astronauts that include Jake Gyllenhaal as Dr. David Jordan, an American medical officer; Rebecca Ferguson as Dr. Miranda North, a British quarantine officer; Ariyon Bakare as Hugh Derry, a British biologist, and Ryan Reynolds as Rory Adams, an American engineer and pilot officer of the ISS.

But Life is not a character study, and the action ramps up quickly with the discovery of a single cell alien organism of nerve and muscle tissue that is christened Calvin. It’s here that the trouble begins, and Espinosa unleashes one of his most potent themes: humanity’s god complex.

Excited by his discovery, Bakare’s Derry is soon obsessed by the growing organism, and sees it as a possibility to potentially cure the deadly paralysis that has crippled him on earth. Constantly poking and prodding the new specimen, he soon incites its anger. It is Derry’s belief in his own superiority and intelligence that puts Earth in danger, and is a chilling reminder that no man can ever be as clever as the universe.

Espinosa raises the stakes again and again with a series of thrills as Gyllenhaal, Ferguson and Reynolds desperately try to contain Calvin within the ISS. Every tragic misstep by the crew is well thought out, with Espinosa presenting his characters with tough decisions and multiple-choice pathways. Turn to the left and escape, or turn to the right and face death. The choices are far from simple, and as an audience member you’re caught off guard just as much as the astronauts are.

Life also makes special use of its unique setting: outer space. Ninety-five percent of the action is set in zero-gravity, and it’s thrilling to watch the long steadicam passes as our heroes glide through the silent corridors of the ISS doing their best to outsmart Calvin. Espinosa also uses the space of the ISS in an interesting way, at first presenting it as this stunning piece of human ingenuity before turning it into a twisting and jagged maze of dangerous turns.

Extensive CGI is used to make the most of the film’s space setting, and to realise the ever-evolving creepiness of Calvin. At first appearing as nothing more than a piece of muscle tissue, this alien life form grows into a terrifying mess of a creature.

Bold and original, this film contained one of the most shocking and memorable endings that I can remember seeing in a long time. Life means to scare and shock…and it certainly accomplished both.

Image: Sony Pictures

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While his first film, A Single Man, featured a narrative built entirely around the interior thoughts of his lead character, Nocturnal Animals instead utilises two different narratives to explore some very unsettling ideas and themes.

Taking the lead is Amy Adams as Susan Marrow, a wealthy art dealer who is beginning to see the cracks in her perfectly decadent world. While it is hard to go into to much detail about Susan’s role in the film without going into spoiler territory, Adams’ performance is certainly engrossing. Much of her performance revolves around the unsettling choices that her character has made in her life, and Adams does everything in her power to make you dislike Susan.

While the leading lady brings a haunting quality to her performance, it is Jake Gyllenhaal in the dual role of Edward Sheffield and his literary character Tony Hastings, who really steals the film. Audience members may be used to seeing Gyllenhaal portray empowering, strong-willed characters, but here he goes in the opposite direction. The characters of Edward and Tony are both weak-willed, world-weary men who cannot deal with the pressures or hardships of the worlds they inhabit. Nocturnal Animals was certainly a risky choice for Gyllenhaal, but it is one that has tremendously paid off.

Terrific support is also provided by Michael Shannon as tough-as-nails detective Bobby Andes, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as skeevy criminal Ray Marcus. Shannon has always been one to intimidate his audience, but he takes it to another level as Andes. This gruff Texas lawman has no time for procedure in his pursuit of justice, and his methodology could almost be considered criminal. As Andes he’s willing to cross any line to find justice for Tony, and this takes the pair of them into some very dark places. Taylor-Johnson, on the other hand, is an utter loose canon as the violently unpredictable Marcus. He throws away any kind of class as this white trash thug, and his interactions and tormenting of Gyllenhaal’s Tony is a terrifying experience.

While Nocturnal Animals is a genuinely unsettling film to watch, Ford’s fearlessness to present his subject matter in all its unpleasantness is a testament to his talents as a director. As a filmmaker he effortlessly captures and juxtaposes the isolation and coldness of Susan’s L.A. lifestyle with that of the rough edges of the haunting West Texas landscape that is presented in Edward’s manuscript. Both worlds are captured with flawless cinematography by Seamus McGarvey (Atonement, Fifty Shades of Grey), and composer Abel Korzeniowski’s melodic yet frightening score certainly keeps you on edge.

Image source: Paramount Pictures

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Here’s the synopsis:

Art gallery owner Susan Marrow (Adams) finds herself haunted by her ex-husband’s (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent and obsessive thriller that she interprets as a veiled threat on her own life. As Susan reads into the story further she finds her own life caught up in the story of the novel’s protagonist Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal), and it’s then that her very sanity begins to unravel. 

The new trailer focuses more on the relationship between Adams’ Susan Morrow and the love that developed between her and her future husband Edward Sheffield (Gyllenhaal). But their love was not to last, and in its wake Edward left Susan with his violent manuscript, Nocturnal Animal, which she believes is a symbolic threat upon her life.

Advance praise has been levelled on Amy Adams for her performance as the film’s central character, and there’s even a bit of buzz that she could see an Academy Award nomination for her performance.

Nocturnal Animals will be released on November 17 in New Zealand and Australia and on November 18 in the US and UK.

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Art gallery owner Susan Marrow (Adams) finds herself haunted by her ex-husband’s (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent and obsessive thriller that she interprets as a veiled threat on her own life. As Susan reads into the story further she finds her own life caught up in the story of the novel’s protagonist Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal), and it’s then that her very sanity begins to unravel. 

Nocturnal Animals is not for the faint of heart with its dark themes of obsession, narcissism, and violence. Adams has never looked better as Susan, whose life of high-end luxury begins to unravel as she digs deeper into her ex-husband’s lost work. Juxtaposed with Adams is Gyllenhaal, who has taken on two roles as Edward Sheffield and Tony Hastings, which is sure to draw out the Oscar nominee’s darker side.

A collection of world-class talent rounds out the supporting cast, including Michael Shannon, Armie Hammer, Isla Fisher, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Director Tom Ford appears to have created a film that will burn itself into the memory of audiences with a compelling story and stunning cinematography. Not only is Ford responsible for one of the most beautiful films ever shot with 2009’s A Single Man, but with Nocturnal Animals, he also appears to be examining our collective culture’s obsession with celebrity and fame, and the darker implications of this fault.

Nocturnal Animals has already won praise for Amy Adams’ gripping performance, while Ford took home the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Expect to see it in theatres on November 17 in New Zealand and Australia and on November 18 in the US and UK.

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5. Baltasar Kormákur: An adventurous filmmaker

It takes guts to explore the world’s highest peak on film, and director Baltasar Kormákur certainly has plenty of it as he seeks to understand and honour the men and women who perished in their pursuits. Kormákur handles all aspects of this incredible cinematic feat with a great deal of sensitivity and accuracy to true historical events, as well as the detail that surrounds the mountain.

4. Raw emotion

Everest is a film powered by emotion in its rawest form. From the exhilaration that the climbers first feel when they embark on their quest, to the fatigue and wear that begins to surround them as they make their ascent, Everest pulls at its audience’s heart strings and won’t let go for a second.

3. Breathtaking scope

Everest is powered by feats of extraordinary photography, and director Kormákur certainly has an extraordinary collaborator in cinematographer Salvatore Totino, who captures the forces of nature in both their calm and terrifying states. Totino’s skills as a photographer amplify the film’s emotional hold on the audience, drawing them further into its epic story, and making it that much harder to let it go afterwards.

2. The heroism of Rob Hall

While Kormákur gives all of Everest‘s cast room to breathe and to express the characterisation of their true life counterparts, it’s Jason Clarke who steals the movie as New Zealand climbing expert Rob Hall. Clarke as Hall places the lives of his team ahead of his own, and channels both his incredible mountaineering skill and heroic stance as a leader.

1. The highest peak on earth

But at the centre of the story is Everest itself — an all-powerful bastion of the impossible. At all times you feel the mountain’s colossal presence, and the danger that it casts down on those who attempt to scale it. Kormákur and his cast pay extraordinary respect to this phenomenal natural presence, and audiences will come to understand just how powerful a force of nature this great peak is.

Image source: Paramount Pictures.

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