Underneath the dim lights of a nocturnal Los Angeles, a hollow eyed creature claws out of the ether. He is a predator equipped with cunning, ambition and a chillingly calm demeanor. He is Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man whose most dangerous weapon is his mind and it might be coming unhinged. Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut is a thrilling character study that plunges viewers into the seedy underworld of television journalism alongside an engrossingly strange character.
Bloom is looking to make a sizeable income and when he follows
police cruisers to the scene of an accident, he sets his sights on a
promising new career
opportunity. With his curiosity peeked by what he witnesses, he begins
asking
questions and learns about “nightcrawling”, the business of capturing
video footage of horrific crime or accident scenes, to sell to
television stations for airing on the news. There is a competitive angle
to it and Bloom has his eyes
set on dominating the field, which is bad news for Joe Loder (a
flawlessly cast
Bill Paxton), the nightcrawler who supplies Bloom with his initial
intel.
When the film opens, it’s clear that something is amiss with
Lou. It’s just unclear what exactly that is. He’s quick witted, hyper
intelligent, blisteringly motivated and exceptionally odd. Whether these
attributes are the makings for someone outright sinister is the central hook of
the film. Not one to inundate its audience with answers, there are numerous
questions left open to interpretation, which gives the audience room to
speculate.
Bloom is an entity that sweeps into existence out of nowhere. He’s
presented as a sort of crash landed alien, fascinated with the world around him
and appalled over its continued unawareness of his existence. While Bloom’s ego
is reminiscent of Patrick Bateman’s in “American Psycho”, he comes across far more
diabolical and frighteningly plausible than the caricature Bateman is presented
as, which is a major plus in the “Nightcrawler” column.The protagonist at hand is fascinating enough to carry various plots and Dan Gilroy’s chosen setting is indeed the perfect showcase for a crafty character such as this. The specter of true crime tabloid journalism and all of its tricky moral implications ups the ante, offering a unique neo-noir vibe. Through the looking glass of this harsh go-getter, you catch a glimpse of the nightly news that is shocking, disturbing and satirically accurate when it comes to select markets.
The
juxtaposition of Bloom’s flagrant persona is sharply contrasted with the “normal”
appearing worker bee anchors, whose buzzing behind the news desk is issued a
cutting indictment which brings to mind the old adage, “better the devil you
know…” It’s these subtle inferences that make “Nightcrawler” a movie that is as
thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
Gilroy’s script is fast paced, smart, electrifying and
gripping from beginning to end. A bastion of memorably stellar lines boosts the
films’ quality even further. Between rejuvenating the acronym for fear and a
negation exchange between Bloom and his protégé, there is a cache of cleverness that
can’t be entirely devoured in one viewing. At times a satirical commentary on
tabloid news and the enduring human curiosity into the lurid; “Nightcrawler”
hones in on some brutal truths, which are too evident to ignore. This is a
probing thriller, one that compels its audience to dig deeper than most films
in this vein.As Bloom begins crossing the line between witness and instigator, it unravels with such a hypnotic flair that one is drawn into riding shotgun in his cherry red Charger without realizing they ever stepped inside. Armed with a spectacular script, star Jake Gyllenhaal brings Bloom to ferocious life. In a turn that is nothing short of mesmeric, he seeps into the pours of Bloom, imbuing him with a presence that borders on transcendental. Walking the fine line of mystique and obvious candor, Gyllenhaal goes for broke. He conveys a complexity of emotion that ranges from the mystically pensive to outright brazen and he manages to do so without ever letting it tailspin into over exaggeration. I did not see a better performance in 2014.
Instead of a character study solely consumed with growth,
the nucleus of “Nightcrawler” revolves around a reveal. While there is an
evolutionary bent to Bloom’s journey, it is the circumstances that unveil
who already existed before the film began. There are glimpses of who that
someone is and neither Gilroy nor Gyllenhaal let Bloom tip his hand, allowing
the intrigue to fully captivate. A slick piece of cinema that warrants the rare
second watch, “Nightcrawler” leaves a bitingly brilliant and lasting
impression. Rating: 9/10