Review of Nightcrawler (2014) by Adlai N — 31 May 2015

They only come out at night. Creatures that lurk beneath the darkness of night to stalk prey and attack when needed, especially if it benefits them greatly. This doesn't fit the model of a horrid, ugly monster from classic horror flicks, but a weirdly, driven young man named Lou Bloom. He enters Nightcrawler as an entirely different type of monster that is all the more frightening since this type of person is prevalent in various forms of society. Equipped with a camera and a distorted view of morality, Bloom mirrors the culture that we inhabit and presents a stark portrayal of values that don't seem that farfetched from the norm today. Nightcrawler is a dark thriller with a biting satirical edge that is hard to look away from, much like the blood and guts mentality of media that is being broken down to a mere nub.

Set in Los Angeles, Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a young thief with simply no ambition to be anything more. He takes what he can get and moves on, selling what he can get his hands on. Lou knows how to sell himself and is great with numbers and statistics. He follows the market and is a quick learner, all of these things would be invaluable for any employer but for whatever reason, it hasn't worked out that way. Late one night, he sees a car wreck where cops are desperately trying to get a woman out of a burning car. Intrigued, amazed and curious he walks up to the wreck to get a closer look, but is met with disdain by the cops as well as a veteran cameraman Joe Loder (Bill Paxton). He finds a news director Nina Romina (Rene Russo) at a local TV station that shares his views on the "If it bleeds, it leads mantra''. Now hooked on documenting chaos and mayhem to viewers with an assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed), he finds himself entrenched in freelance crime journalism. But he quickly succumbs to immoral acts to further his new found career and make himself the star of his own story.

Gyllenhaal is a barreling train of madness and ferocity that is impossible to look away. He simply takes over the role and the entire movie. Bloom is such an interesting character that you don't mind to see more of him. His performance is simply revelatory as the ghoulishly fun Lou Bloom who looks somewhat of a normal, unassuming guy. But that just makes him all the more dangerous. Gyllenhaal transforms into the role like it's someone else's skin and the look he portrays is heavily apparent. From the sleek, bony cheekbones, bug eyes and slicked back hair, he looks something more of a lizard than a man. The dedication that Gyllenhaal showed is shocking and impressive. Getting ones weight down to 180 and going days without eating hardly anything is nothing short of insane.

He was all over the place with a firm grip on what he wants, needs and aspires to have. There is nothing in the world that he can't have and nothing is off limits to him. For much of the movie he is in control, a situation that he loves being in. But sometimes he isn't in control and it's a scenario that he can't understand. The perplexing conundrums that he finds himself in are fun to watch and especially to see if he can get out of them in one piece. And that's where it gets really entertaining. He attacks with vitriol at any and every corner where you're left dumbfounded to what just happened. His quick mind and even quicker mouth are more lethal than a machine gun. When he is on, he fires on all cylinders. Bloom is so overconfident that it's hard to not be a little impressed by him. He talks the talk and walks the walk with gusto like he's the CEO of a fortune 500 company.

Russo was just as good as the no nonsense station manager. She quickly shows Bloom the ropes where he unexpectedly picks up rather quickly, maybe too quickly for her tastes. She's basically the only one who can challenge and test Bloom and push him to get her that story of violence and calamity that she thrives for. Russo has never been stronger or more in charge here and she really kicks some ass here. She is intimidating in ways different than Bloom but also someone you don't want to cross. But it's when she is at her most vulnerable that gives you an entirely different look at her and maybe shows some compassion for her.

You can tell she has never been in that position or made to feel that way and you know she would rather be anywhere else in the world. Russo shows some great range here as she tip toes the balance beam of morality. Ahmed had some impressive work here too as the diligent assistant who may be getting in over his head. He was the conscience of Bloom who constantly asks if the things they are doing are right. But he is as desperate as Bloom is and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

The way Bloom is portrayed, you'd think he'd be an unlikable, disgusting villain, but the more you look at the overall situation, he quickly becomes less and less of a villain. We don't know Blooms backstory, but we don't need too. We know enough of what he is and what he wants. If he wasn't in freelance crime journalism, he more than likely would have found something else but he just happened to fall into it. But he is simply adapting to the culture around him by any means necessary. The media will always be seen and portrayed as blood starved vultures that will pick at the bones of a rotting corpse till there's nothing left, then move on to the next one. It's a system that perpetuates an endless cycle of violence during all hours of the day where audiences inadvertently get sucked in. People love violence and seeing someone else that isn't their family or friends in life and death peril. He's just giving them what they want and what does it matter if it's staged or not.

Blood sells more than a happy ending and a perfect shot is the difference between indifference and shock and awe. Despite all the horrible things he has done over the course of the movie, and there are a large number of them, you still want to root for him in the end. Everyone should have a dream and he is going for that dream. He doesn't really have any inherent qualities that make him likable or someone you would want as a friend. But the way he speaks is mesmerizing and you oddly want to hear him talk for hours on end. He is like a machine, cold, calculating, focused and driven to a fault. He breaks everything down so succinctly that he could have been a presidential candidate. Bloom can talk his way out of anything while still thinking of the bottom line. He sees the big picture out of everything and anything.

Director/screenwriter Dan Gilroy really went all out for his first film and excelled where others more than likely not have. He has a great knack for storytelling and character dissections with a distinct noir feeling. He transports you to another world that you don't really want to peer into, given how terrible it is. It starts off slow to show ample screen time to Blooms character, but really steps into high gear as the movie goes on. It's paced very well where there is always something you can take from every scene. Nothing feels wasted or as if it didn't deserve to be there. His screenplay is very different than any other film he has written for. Knowing that he wrote the screenplay for Two For The Money and Real Steel would make you think that Nightcrawler would be an entirely different movie, but it surpassed all expectations to catapult him as a serious director worth looking at. The script was very impressive and one of the sharpest I have heard in a long while, Gone Girl also fits this category with a brilliant script. It crackles with ugliness and truth that's a feast for the ears.

I could listen to Bloom sprout off statistics and trends at rapid fire succession for days on end. The script perfectly centers on Gyllenhaal's performance as Bloom where he makes everything around him his playground. Hearing Nina break down what makes a story worth reporting was disgusting and horrible in every way but a truth that should be revealed but in reality is not. It shows how much they rely on race to sell, frighten and intrigue viewers amid a false backdrop of endless violence. Knowing what makes a newsroom tick was a dirty experience that makes one want to take a shower afterwards to get all that dirt and grime off of one's body. One of the most uncomfortable scenes was Bloom deciphering his prey and was like watching a vivisection right in front of you. Bloom cut everything down till there was nothing left and all you can do was sit there shocked. Another great scene was Bloom bargaining his footage to Nina. He talks so fluidly that it didn't seem there was even a stop for him to breathe. He lays down his terms with dominance and assurance, already knowing beforehand that he will get what he wants. He talks directly to the camera with no cutting away, then inches closer and closer where you see more of Bloom that you would want. You once again become entrenched in his presence, creepy face and cunning, conniving wordplay all at once.

The orchestration by James Newton Howard was great and added another layer to the moodiness of Los Angeles and a perfect backdrop to the dark environments of mayhem. He has scored some of the greatest thrillers of all time with The Fugitive, The Dark Knight and The Sixth Sense. The chilling, tense score gave for a steely feeling while watching. It made it feel colder and detached. The lighting gave it a horror type feel and made Bloom that much more menacing and brought out his devilish tendencies within. But sometimes it's when he is shown in full light that makes him even creepier as the night suits him more. Countless shots show his face shrouded in darkness as it glosses over his eyes as if he's an entirely different being. You want to inspect him like any curious observer but more so in the darkness where he can fully reveal himself to the creature he really is.

Nightcrawler speaks to the consumer culture that has purported throughout society and is becoming a driving force for people to succeed. Bloom sees something of value and takes it by any means necessary for himself or for sale. Everything can be taken and sold to the highest bidder and it doesn't matter how it was obtained. The drive to get to the top by hurting all those who stand in your way is one of the reasons why the economy is in the toilet. People crush and harm others, blissfully spending money then are shocked when the bubble bursts. The distortion of success is revealed as nothing but a shallow fallacy built upon lies, deception and bodily, emotional harm to others.

The wish to become something else and create something grand drives Bloom to sociopathy. He wants to be appreciated for his hard work even if it came at the cost of others and doesn't look back on what he has done and only looks forward to what he can create. His coldness and apathy to all that befalls around him is terrifying and startling but a mirror image to the culture that perpetuates the notion that wealth can only be achieved by any means necessary. I know some movies will have comparisons to Nightcrawler, but I was reminded of A Shock To The System starring a brilliantly insane Michael Caine. He himself also was downtrodden by the system that turned to murder to achieve wealth and influence. Caine was also likable and someone you wanted to get away in the end. Don't know why it's so easy to like evil characters like these but it's the way that they go about it and how they want something different for themselves, like many of us.

There were some really great sequences here starting with Bloom amassing his clips and slowly building his influence. Nina talking to the newscasters was really fun and shows how quick newscasters are as they have to listen, think and speak at a moment's notice, fitting what they just heard in a comprehensible way that would fit in the newscast. The climactic ending was fast paced, thrilling, nail biting and shocking. It really was a great piece of action filmmaking that went all out. I loved the ending and really fell into place when all the dust settled.

Nightcrawler gave the media the punch in the arm it deserves and needed with a brilliantly transformative performance by Jake Gyllenhaal . In an amoral world, it's the ones who thinks of ones feelings and repercussions that are viewed as weird or strange and not the other way around. Those types of people don't survive in today's world as the ugliness of society slowly creeps into the mainstream taking over what is good and right. It presents a dark social commentary that rivals Gone Girl in every way while still remaining its own singular film. It's grotesque, immoral, sleek and too smart for its own good to become one of the best thrillers all year. Given how used we are to violence and sex at all corners of the day, hopefully this won't fall on deaf ears and we miss the point entirely, going on to watch the next report of a person getting maimed as the newscasters graphically tell every detail. If one can take one thing away from Nightcrawler, is that we have to change how we digest and interpret media and life and death onscreen. Lou Bloom should not be looked up too but should be feared as an all too real personification of society. Five invasive, graphic, gory, immoral news reports out of five.