Lacking credibility

Rating: 5/10 (31 October 2014)

I found it hard to figure out the message of this movie. There is a plot twist at some point in the movie but it wasn't really the shock that it should have been. More an 'ah okay, so that's what happened' experience. The contrast between the real Nick and the evil Nick portrayed by his wife is not very stark and often it's unclear which Nick you've been looking at.
The main issue is the motivation of Amy. Her parents were quite distant and demanding but also not the monsters that you would assume produce such a screwed up daughter. They were quite credible in their sadness when Amy went missing. This makes Amy's behavior feel quite random. Her act of killing an ex boyfriend seemed unnecessary and even the characters in the movie didn't believe her story.
The movie did manage to convey a 'what lies beneath' feeling. If you want to feel bad about life and marriage you need to watch this movie. If you want a gripping story, read the book.