Gripping Sequences, Tense Interludes

Rating: 9/10 (6 January 2019)

I procrastinated a lot, when it came to watching this movie. I finally did today. In my opinion this is a great film. Given that this review is dated full four years since the movie was released , it would be farcical to pen down a detailed opinion on the more obvious aspects of the movie, such as , Jake Gyllenhaal's excellent performance or the lucid writing of Mr. Gilroy. Hence, I shall focus on the aspects that may prove adulatory to the direction of the movie.
Given its fairly straightforward and no frills story-line, the director does a stupendous job in creating a gripping thriller. There is something reticent about the pace of the movie. However, the movie is very tense. The director has exploited the situational plot brilliantly, creating characters and sequences that keep one on the edge.
This tension, that lingers in the background and slowly grows on screen, is given an explicit expression in a powerful scene where the lead character exhibits frustration before a bathroom mirror.
The lead character has a menacing presence in the movie, because the character walks on the edge . There is not a single scene where one does not fear that he may lose control and not a single scene where the audience can relax due to predictability.
Mr. Gilroy's other ventures have not been quite as gripping as this movie. The credit of course has to be shared with Mr. Gyllenhaal who may have rendered a post modern image of the eponymous creature.
Unlike a few other thrillers, one can watch this film repeatedly because the suspense it holds is not just confined to sequences but also to the interludes.