Member review

For the role of Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler Jake Gyllenhaal lost 20 pounds as he visualised Lou as a “hungry coyote” which I believe perfectly encapsulates Lou’s character throughout the film. Lacking a formal education and adequate work experience, truly a victim of the unfair modern job market. Lou is a petty thief from LA who is stealing metal fencing and selling it in a junkyard. On the drive home from the junkyard Lou encounters a car crash, after getting out of his car to investigate, Lou encounters free-lance videographer Joe Loder recording the tragic event for the news. Seeing Loder at work lit a fire inside Lou and after stealing a bike, Lou goes to a pawn shop and swaps it for a camcorder and a radio scanner, and that night Lou starts free-lance videoing accidents or “Nightcrawling.”

With Lou’s sheer eagerness and desperation, he needs to find a way to stand out, so he begins filming crime scenes like no others. He starts going right up to victims and filming as intimately as he can. Thus, his extensive coverage grabs the attention of a morning news channel, and a special relationship forms therein. A consistent supply of new gruesome/entertaining crime footage for an increasing sum of money. As we see the frightening lengths Lou is willing to strive towards in order to prove himself as a proficient workingman and elevate his value above and beyond. This grave thriller intermittently surprises us with effectively mocking twisted humor, but the incredibly deranged human psychology on display keeps us startled and tense throughout regardless.

Gyllenhaal arguably gives the absolute best performance of his career in a role that substantially differentiates from his earlier work. His creepy, relaxed composure hides his true inner scariness and ferocity. Publicly, Louis is a professional, polite, and upstanding citizen who's just looking to work hard and live the “American Dream.” However, privately he is clearly not mentally sane as he blackmails the TV director to further his career. Rene Russo also impresses as the morning news director, who is almost as daring in her lust for more provocative violent imagery. She is impressed by Lou’s ability to capture such footage and mistakenly fuels Louis' psychotic drive because of this. In addition, Riz Ahmed's Rick serves as Louis' gullible, clueless "employee" who just wants to escape the dispiriting state of homelessness and finally earn a living, completely unaware of the perilous and unethical situations he'll be cast in along his employer's selfishly ruthless path.

I would say the film has similarities to Marry Harron’s American Psycho as both characters Lou Bloom and Patrick Bateman are similarly psychopathic where Bateman has a blood lust and driving ambition to be better than his coworkers, Lou Bloom is addicted to manipulating and blackmailing to reach the top and one day fulfilling the “American Dream.”

The 2014 film keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the 2 hours of its run time. With it showing how driving ambition without moral compass can have serious consequences. As Lou is ruthless and will do whatever he needs to to work his way to the very top of the food chain. As he and others shamelessly capitalize on the popularity of crime television. I think Gyllenhaal does a brilliant job of playing one of the most unlikeable characters in film history and for that reason I give “Nightcrawler” 5/5 stars.