Nightcrawler (2014)

“If you want to win the lottery, 

you have to make the money to buy a ticket.”

Dan Gilroy’s 'Nightcrawler' was on barely on my radar before I had the chance to see it in the cinema. I’d heard from a handful of people that it was a decent watch so I had a few mild expectations but nothing too large.

For the most part, films normally fall short of my expectations. Sometimes, on a good day, they meet them. However, I’m always hoping for that one film that meets my expectations and ultimately exceeds them… ‘Nightcrawler’ exceeded my expectations by a long way.

Jake Gyllenhaal gives the performance of his career as the emotionless and, at times, terrifying psychopath - Louis Bloom - who climbs the L.A. crime journalism ladder as a footage peddler. As he becomes more successful, he begins to blur the line between observer and participant.

I thought I was going to be able to predict where the film was going to go but I was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t quite stay on the road that I thought it would. It added to the pleasure of watching because you never knew what exactly was going to come next. 

There are some disturbing ideas being explored in ‘Nightcrawler’ and it doesn’t shy away from that. It promotes an extremely unsettling atmosphere that will have you squirming with unease.

What I thought was a clever and intriguing aspect of the plot was the fact that the film was a roller coaster of emotions. Despite some of the terrible things Louis Bloom is doing, he’s not actually the one causing it per se. He’s just not doing anything to help the situation which, in itself, is a crime. This being said, some of the crimes he does commit are atrocious and really throw his credibility out the window. This really throws your moral compass off kilter as you try and make sense of the horror that you are witnessing along with Louis Bloom. 

Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance steals the show in this one and I’ll be very shocked if he doesn’t receive at least an Oscar nomination for it. He blurs the line between psychopath and relatable human being and really balances on a knife edge with whether or not he's likable. Personally, I don’t think he’s particularly likable but he’s impossible not to watch. He’s more interesting to follow and study because of his unpredictability and lack of emotion. You can’t tell what he’s thinking and that’s a haunting prospect. Despite having no “people skills’ whatsoever, you always get the sense that Louis is optimising every moment and opportunity as he becomes more successful. He makes himself indispensable and proves that he has the guts to back up his, sometimes misguided, enthusiasm. You’re left trying to piece together how you feel about what happens and what you think the justified punishment would be for what goes on.

I witnessed glimpses of greatness in Gyllenhaal in ‘Prisoners’ where he plays a gritty detective and I knew it was just a matter of time before he gave us a performance like he does in ‘Nightcrawler’. Right off the bat you sense that there’s something seriously wrong with this guy… You can’t place your finger on it but you know there’s definitely a few screws loose. Gyllenhaal does a solid job in making us truly believe in his character and there’s not one moment in the film where I wasn’t fully on board with him as a character. I admired how much Gyllenhaal threw himself into the role like he does, you’ll be wondering what he’s truly capable of with each twist and turn in the plot…

Renne Russo also gives a strong supporting performance in the film. She plays a conflicted, ageing, business woman who is trying to stay on top of the news world but is manipulated by Louis Bloom. He uses her to get what he wants with the promise of giving her what she wants. She features in some extremely disturbing moments that really make the film soar. 

First time director Dan Gilroy does an excellent job in this neo-noir thriller and his directing style is quite reminiscent of some of David Fincher’s films. He forces us to delve into the seedy reality of the L.A. media and what the news has unfortunately become. We are no longer interested in world politics or social issues, viewers are more interested in suburban crime stories, shameful money-grabbing accident reports and, most evidently, death. It really makes you think about the credibility of the news and puts these “9 o’clock news” stories into perspective.

It’s a twisted look at the “American dream” and shows us what greed and power can really do. You’ll be dragged along for the ride with the unforgettably psychopathic Louis Bloom and you’ll not be able to look away. That's the beauty of it. It forces us to think about our own media preferences and how the newsroom bends and twists the information they broadcast to try and get the best ratings.

‘Nightcrawler’ is easily one of my top ten movies of 2014 and deserves a few Oscar nods.
It delivers some seriously disturbing themes and imagery, dark edgy comedy, an exciting car chase and a slimy creep like Gyllenhaal. When you mix all of these ingredients together, it makes for a surreal thrill ride that will have you crawling out of your seat at the end. It has the maturity and intelligence to hold up a mirror to society and forces us to look at what we’ve become.

It ticks all the boxes for me.