Review of Nightcrawler (2014) by Matthew C — 07 Jul 2015

This is one film that really feels like a product of its time in terms of message -- sticking its nose at the bloodlust of the media and their audience, and the erosion of the American Dream.

Jake Gyllenhaal gives an astonishing, gritty, demented performance. He excels at turning his protagonist from relatable, down-and-out dreamer to over-confident, opportunistic, sadist in one breath. This is certainly a career best for him.

Beyond the pertinent themes and Oscar-worthy performance from Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler also boasts some beautiful, metropolitan nighttime photography (specifically, Los Angeles). Not since Michael Mann's Collateral (also set in LA) has a city been so fantastically realized as its own character. It's seedy. It's scandalous. It's parasitic. It's not unlike the protagonist.

One of the best films of 2014, it's a shame that Nightcrawler didn't get the kind of awards attention that it deserved. No matter. This thriller will most likely develop a cult following and a deserved place in the cinematic discourse that dwarves anything that films like American Sniper or The Imitation Game can hope to achieve.