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Award season is often a time for tear-jerking dramas and inspiring biographies—but it’s also a time for the dark, edgy films that you won’t see at any other time of the year. And that’s where writer/director Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler fits in; it’s a gritty thriller made memorable by one chilling performance.
Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom, a desperate young man who’s resorted to selling stolen scrap metal to survive. Then, one night, he’s drawn to the scene of a brutal crash site on the highway, where he’s introduced to the world of freelance crime journalism—a fascinating new money-making prospect.
Armed with a pawn shop camcorder and a police scanner, Lou takes to the streets of L.A., racing to the scene of the most gruesome crimes and the most gory accidents to capture the kind of graphic footage that will earn top dollar from local TV stations. And the more successful he becomes, the more he begins to blur the lines between reporting the stories and creating them.
Dark and twisted and deliciously disturbing, Nightcrawler is an edge-of-your-seat, after-dark adventure that will shock and terrify audiences in the most breathtaking ways. That’s not to say that it’s an especially action-packed film. After all, the story focuses less on the crimes than on the race to cover the aftermath. But the horrors of the reports and the slow-building tension often make it positively riveting. Though you’ll sometimes want to look away, you’ll be entirely unable to do so.
On one hand, it’s a look at the seedier side of the local news, as represented by Rene Russo’s Nina, the ruthless news director who will do anything in her power to raise her ratings—even if that means pushing ethical and legal boundaries or spinning the stories to make them more sensational. But that’s really just a backdrop for this gripping study in psychosis.
Gyllenhaal’s eerily unhinged performance is the focal point of the film. Lou is a fascinating character in his own right: smart and highly driven yet socially awkward. But it’s Gyllenhaal’s brilliant performance—chilling and, at times, disturbingly amusing—that makes the character more horrifying than any cheap slasher movie villain. Even in the most stressful times, he appears to remain calm and composed, but his wide eyes and too-bright smile tell the real story. One look into those eyes will tell you that Lou is a dangerous guy—and, just like Nina, he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants.
Nightcrawler definitely isn’t for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. It’s tense and terrifying, gripping and gruesome. But Gyllenhaal’s unforgettable performance makes it worth watching, while ensuring that you’ll continue to hear about it throughout this year’s award season.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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