NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (15, 117 mins) Thriller/Romance/Action. Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Ellie Bamber, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough, Michael Sheen. Director: Tom Ford.

Released: November 4 (UK & Ireland)

The lies we tell ourselves are often more damaging than those we fashion for the people we love.

This art of personal deception is practised with elan by characters in designer Tom Ford's second film - an impeccably tailored and gripping psychological thriller based on the novel Tony And Susan by Austin Wright.

If Ford's impressive Oscar-nominated debut, A Single Man, was emotionally cool, Nocturnal Animals reduces the temperature to sub-zero as an unhappily married woman relives - with a shudder - the betrayal that destroyed the only loyal and openly loving person in her life.

The writer-director employs a simple yet effective film-within-a-film structure, ricocheting between metallic, minimalist reality and sun-baked, sweat-stained fiction with aplomb.

In both strands, innately good, yet tortured, protagonists reach crossroads and the agonized choices they make will gnaw at their souls for the rest of their days.

Ford's impeccable eye for detail is in evidence in every frame and he toys repeatedly with notions of beauty as his stylish, social climber heroine reluctantly acknowledges the ugliness that lurks beneath her designer labels and flawless make-up.

Los Angeles gallery owner Susan Morrow (Amy Adams) stages provocative exhibitions, which elicit coos of appreciation from her pals Alessia (Andrea Riseborough) and Carlos (Michael Sheen), but are - by her own admission - emotionally numb.

That's also a succinct description for her marriage to philandering businessman Hutton (Armie Hammer), whose financial woes impact the gallery's future.

Out of the blue, Susan receives a manuscript from her first husband, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal), whose sweet nature and humble Texan origins jarred with her monstrous mother, Anne (Laura Linney).

"The things you love about him now, in a few years, you will hate," sneers Anne to her daughter in a flashback.

Susan and Edward haven't spoken in 19 years, so his communication is both intriguing and unsettling.

With Hutton away on business, Susan devours the pages of Edward's manuscript and in her mind's eye, she imagines Tony Hastings (Gyllenhaal again), his wife Laura (Isla Fisher) and teenage daughter India (Ellie Bamber) taking a late night drive.

On an empty stretch of desert highway, the family is terrorised by Ray Marcus (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his buddies.

Laura and India are abducted and local detective Bobby Andes (Michael Shannon) supports Tony as the husband discovers the women's horrifying fate.

Nocturnal Animals serves up a dish of revenge with measured restraint, bolstered by powerhouse performances from Adams and Gyllenhaal.

Buckinghamshire-born co-star Taylor-Johnson is truly menacing and Ford sadistically cranks up tension until we, like Susan, are helpless to glimpse into the heart of darkness of Edward's manuscript.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey creates distinct colour palettes and textures for the two narratives, including an opening credits sequence that challenges our perception of the body beautiful head-on.

(Damon Smith)

:: SWEARING :: NO SEX :: VIOLENCE :: RATING: 8.5/10

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS (12A, 133 mins) Drama/Romance. Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, Leon Ford, Caren Pistorius. Director: Derek Cianfrance.

Released: November 1 (UK & Ireland)

As a genre, the sweeping romance is one that's been overlooked in recent years, so there is much excitement about The Light Between Oceans, an adaptation of the 2012 bestselling novel by M.L. Steadman.

On paper, the film has everything you expect; beautiful lead actors in Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, stunning backdrops and a period setting. It even has the all-important moral dilemmas and tragic twist, but somehow I just wasn't left reaching for the tissues.

Director Derek Cianfrance is no stranger to tackling complex and gut-wrenching themes.

He helmed 2010's Blue Valentine, about the breakdown of a marriage, and 2012's The Place Beyond The Pines, exploring the lengths a father will go to provide for his family, and readily admits he was sobbing on the subway when he first read The Light Between Oceans.

It's set shortly after World War One and follows Tom Sherbourne (Fassbender), a man seeking a peaceful existence after his horrific experiences on the front line. He puts himself forward for the role of lighthouse keeper on the uninhabited Janus Rock off the west coast of Australia.

Though he intends to live a life of solitude, he can't help but fall for the vibrant Isabel Graysmark (Vikander), a young woman who lives in the harbour town. They marry and for a while lead an idyllic existence on the beautifully stark island.

Tom manages to slowly shake the horror of his past, along with his moustache, and Isabel blooms. But as time passes, they're delivered devastating blows to any hope of having a family of their own.

One day, a rowing boat washes ashore. Inside they find a dead man and a crying baby. Isabel, desperate and broken, pleads with Tom to raise the girl as their own. Despite his reservations, he relents and the trio flourish miles from inquisitive locals. But on one of their visits to the mainland, Tom discovers a local woman, Hannah (Rachel Weisz) who's grieving a husband and child lost at sea. He contacts Hannah anonymously; a decision that sets into a motion a chain of events with devastating and long-lasting consequences.

The film looks marvellous, as do Fassbender and Vikander as they look wistfully out to the vast ocean. But while they individually put in captivating performances, there's an element of passion lacking, which is surprising given the pair fell in love for real during the shoot.

You're never quite wrapped up in Tom and Isabel's world and for that reason the climactic scenes lack oomph. Combine that with a plot that teeters on the preposterous and you're left with a pleasant but not tear-jerking two hours.

(Susan Griffin)

:: NO SWEARING :: SEX :: VIOLENCE :: RATING: 6.5/10