Quick Hit Movie Reviews #6: 'The Face of an Angel,' 'Nightcrawler' & 'Honeymoon'

Eclectic Pop plunges into the shadows of the night for these 3 atmospheric thrillers. In the firstly covered film; director Michael Winterbottom veers into true crime territory with the drama, "The Face of an Angel" which stars Daniel Bruhl as a brooding director researching a film and Kate Beckinsale as the emotionally ruthless reporter, who guides him through the media circus surrounding the high-profile events he is trying to unearth.

As with the third film in this compilation ("Honeymoon"), "The Face of an Angel" tells a story shrouded in quiet mystery and steely intrigue without giving viewers too much action as it unravels. At play in all 3 movies, is a mystery that tears each of its central characters apart.

Narratively distancing itself is Dan Gilroy’s startlingly original masterpiece "Nightcrawler". Its suspense revolves around what its lead character is going to do, not what he has. The fabric of its story is still unraveling as viewers join in. While the fate of the characters in the other films included here, are set on an inevitable course early on.

"The Face of an Angel", "Nightcrawler" and "Honeymoon" each reach into the disquieting exploration of what goes bump in the night and the cause of what often sends a shiver down your spine, that primal fear of the unknown and often unknowable.

Remember, if you would like to read about each movie further, simply click on the designated link to read the full review.

[Image by BBC Films, Multitrade, Ypsilon Films]

"The Face of an Angel" (2014)

Michael Winterbottom has changed the names and kept the places for his fictionalized take on the real-life murder case of Meredith Kercher and the court prosecution that followed against Amanda Knox. Told through the eyes of Thomas (Daniel Bruhl), a director weathering a personal crisis, a strange mix of fact and fiction mingle to create a dramatic deluge that begets more questions than answers. What is so interesting about Winterbottom’s vision is that he has in effect created a film within a film and not in the way you might expect.

Rating: 6.5/10 – Read the full review here

[Image by Open Road Films]

"Nightcrawler" (2014)

Underneath the dim lights of a nocturnal Los Angeles, a hollow-eyed creature claws out of the ether. He is a predator equipped with cunning, ambition and a chillingly calm demeanor. He is Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man whose most dangerous weapon is his mind and it might be coming unhinged. Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut is a thrilling character study that plunges viewers into the seedy underworld of television journalism alongside an engrossingly strange character.

Rating: 9/10 – Read the full review here

[Image by Magnolia Pictures]

"Honeymoon" (2014)

Love, madness and a mystery consume a newlywed couple who have embarked on their honeymoon at a lakeside cabin in the woods. What begins as a picturesque excursion for Bea (Rose Leslie) and Paul (Harry Treadaway) soon descends into a nightmare, when the new bride disappears in the middle of the night.

The particular emotion felt by this viewer in the wake of "Honeymoon" proves to be a testament to the affability of its characters and the turns of its leads, as it's a rarely produced sensation from the genre. As a thriller it is compelling, as a love story it is romantic and as a horror flick, it leaves the audience with some things that are hard to shake despite desiring to.

Rating: 6.5/10 – Read the full review here

[Featured Image by Open Road Films/Magnolia Pictures/BBC Films, Multitrade, Ypsilon Films]