Nightcrawler (2014) is a movie that I have never thought I would enjoy as much as I did. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom who is a con man in desperate need for work. He starts documenting violent incidents in L.A to sell to local news stations, but gets a little deep into it once he starts blurring the line between documenting and being a participant of such events. Nightcrawler (2014) movie review
I am not a huge fan of Jake Gyllenhaal. He is a good actor but nothing spectacular. However, in this movie he absolutely stole the show. He doesn’t play a good guy, but rather one who manipulates others in order to get the story he wants. It plays on the common news satire of showing the stories viewers like to see rather than pursuing the real facts of it. Bloom is a charming young man but under his grin and skeletal frame, he is a businessman. He puts those around them in peril for his personal gain because the stories need to be told. Whether the facts are embellished or law was broken is not of his concern.
Rene Russo also plays a compelling character named Nina Romina who is a morning news director. She plays the character in a way that shows the lengths the news is willing to go to increase their viewership as well as the limit they go to keep their current viewers. She is not afraid to stretch the stories and exaggerate the facts to stay on top, which is what drives Bloom to such extremes to capture compelling footage. He is unresponsive to horrible events he records and acts as an outsider who is there to capture events that will fetch a high price. According to director Dan Gilroy, he wanted to show that by watching these sensationalized stories, the audience is encouraging unethical journalism, which is being part of the problem.
Going back to Bloom, he has no character arc that he develops throughout the movie. He instead is a criminal who stays the same regardless of the situation he was placed in. However, once money is involved, he loses his sanity to get to the top. Money in this case serves as an incentive to drive them much further than he ever was. To emphasize this, Bloom rarely blinks and he is very skinny to show this hunger for great stories.
Overall the movie was a blast to watch. It had some great tension and fantastic cinematography. The fact that Gyllenhaal didn’t receive an Academy Award is such a shame. He played a perfect antihero that had an amazing presence on the screen. Even when we know his actions were extreme and unethical, we in a sense sympathize because he is doing it for us, the audience. He is also a criminal, but he shows stories that drive viewership and ratings which in tern benefits him. It’s a dog eat dog world out there and he certainly found a way to the top.
Thanks for reading my Nightcrawler (2014) movie review
