The biggest mixed bag of 2014

Rating: 6/10 (16 February 2015)

I had high hopes for this movie, but that was probably because I knew nothing about it. I thought it would be a neo-noir, but in the end it plays out more as a thriller. In the first act, Nick realizes his wife, Amy, is gone and believes she has been kidnapped. He seems unshaken at first, which was to make the audience think he killed his wife. This is quite odd however, since in the end it was revealed that he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance. As this goes on, his wife's diary entries are shown on screen which gives the audience an insight into the couple's past. At this point, I was still looking for small hints and clues in the text, but my attempts were all for naught. The press is outraged at Nick, and believe him to be the killer, but things get more complicated when it is revealed that Nick has been having an affair. This seemed out of character for our "everyman", and I first saw it I raised an eyebrow, but its far from the least believable thing presented on screen. That would come when, halfway through the movie, it is revealed that Amy is alive, journal entries war lies, and she wants revenge on her husband for cheating on her. The movie wanted my jaw to drop, but instead, my eyebrow was raised. Her plan is to frame Nick for her murder in the most complicated way possible so that he goes to jail. Instead of just killing him, or whatever. Nick eventually realizes his wife's disappearance was a clever ploy and hires a lawyer, who gets people to track her down. This plot point is only addressed like, one time though, and never comes into play. However, while Amy is away, she is robbed and the pair who did it realize that there is something odd about her. This should have happened a long time ago since the two have watched reports of Amy's disappearance WITH HER IN THE ROOM but this plot point is also swept under the rug. Amy goes to a casino and, by pure coincidence, stumbles upon one of her exes. He takes her into his house because he's an idiot, and she slowly begins her plot to frame him as her kidnapper. For some reason. Seriously, her motivations can be pretty much summed up as "I was CRAZY the whole time! (except when I wasn't)". Meanwhile Nick wins over the press and people for apologizing for cheating on his wife. Amy see this and suddenly doesn't hate her husband any more (again, CRAZY! (maybe)) and kills the guy she was with. She then returns home and everyone believes her story, despite holes that even Nick points out. Even his lawyer and the detective working on the case just leave, fully knowing the truth about Amy. Amy then tells Nick she is pregnant with his sperm from the sperm bank and Nick decides to fake his love for her to rise his kid. Then one of the worst endings of all time happens. After all this buildup, the complicated plot, the suspense it ends. The movie just, cuts off. This is not an ending you have to think about, either. the writers just didn't know how to end it, so they just did. What the hell. So the plot is full of holes, the characters change their entire personalities in the blink of an eye, and it's on the whole the second most overrated movie of the year (second only to Interstellar), but it is extremely suspenseful, well acted and beautifully shot with great music and a disturbing tone. On the whole, it really is the biggest mixed bag of last year's cinema.