Well, it’s a bloody business
You know that really gory footage you see on the news? The stuff they warn you is not suitable for children? Well someone has to go out, film that stuff and sell it to news stations. The recent Dan Gilroy directed drama/thriller Nightcrawler tells the story of a man who goes out into the mean streets of Los Angeles (L.A) to get that footage by any means necessary. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this dark, seedy foray into the darker side of media production and gives a chilling performance that is right up there with Hopkin’s Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It’s gritty, it’s raw and it punches you right in the gut more than once. Yeah, Nightcrawler delivers in a big way. Buckle up with this one; you’re going for a hell of a ride.
The film’s “hero” is a man named Louis “Lou” Bloom (Gyllenhaal) who is new to the L.A scene. We meet him stealing scrap metal to make rent. There is something… off about Lou. He doesn’t have a personality so much as a list of things he has learned throughout his life. This social awkwardness doesn’t impede him in trying to create a professional image though. After a few missteps, he finds his way into the world of “night crawling,” the business of on the scene recording of violent or otherwise bloody crimes and accidents. The independent companies that film this footage then sell it to the highest bidder among news stations. Armed with a camera, a police scanner and his “intern” Rick (Riz Ahmed) Lou sets out to make it big in the world of action news journalism.
Lou is a fascinating character. He is single mindedly focused on success at all costs. He uses people and situations to get what he wants regardless of the moral implications. He lies to his “employee,” sabotages other night crawlers and goes so far as to sit on evidence of other crimes. Oh yeah, Lou is all about becoming a success. He seems to be a narcissist, constantly impressed by his own knowledge and quick grasp of concepts. He also has trouble tolerating other people’s ineptitude. He has trouble with social situations and misunderstands people’s social ques. Gyllenhaal portrays him wonderfully, capturing all the creepy and conniving a character like this should carry.
The rest of the cast does a really great job as well, keeping pace with Gyllenhaal and coming off as very believable. Some L.A. news anchors even play themselves, adding a degree of reality to the story. The camera work is awesome, switching between a very particular style of filming and the raw footage that Lou is shooting. This gives a slight taste of found footage, but not enough to turn off someone who isn’t a fan of the style. The score is brilliant. Music is used scarcely but completely sucks you into the atmosphere of the film.
Five stars for Nightcrawler. In a world where we take so much about media production for granted, here’s a film that not only tells a great personal story, but also shows us a world with in our own. The next time you watch the news, think about what it must have taken to get some of the footage you see. That footage was someone’s lively hood. I just hope it wwasn’t from someone like Lou….