Review of Nightcrawler (2014) by Googolendtimes — 02 Nov 2014

An uncharacteristically intelligent thrill ride exploring the newfound career path of Louis Bloom, an ambitious and manipulative sociopath played by Jake Gyllenhaal who immerses himself in the L.A. crime scene in the hope of capturing graphic footage he can sell to news stations for considerable profit. The film is bolstered by Gyllenhaal's performance which is electrifying, unpredictable and extraordinary. I'm holding out hope for an Oscar nomination, even if his superb work in recent years (i.e. Zodiac, Prisoners) has gone unrecognised by the Academy. His work here is more than deserving to buck the trend - I was left hanging on every word that came out of his mouth, dripping in guile and insanity. He's backed up by a strong supporting cast. Rene Russo stands out as the station manager who becomes Louis's biggest client for his footage. Her work is similarly Oscar-calibre and she shows her character's insecurities and vulnerabilities with subtlety and grace, doing a particularly good job of showing simultaneously the shock at Louis's moral decline and her dependence at the rejuvenation his footage is giving her career. Dan Gilroy's alternately disturbing and exciting and surprisingly funny (in parts) script deftly handles its character's amorality and the exploration of the way media and crime are becoming closely intertwined.

'Nightcrawler' owes a lot of its frenetic, adrenaline-rush spirit to its technical work, particularly John Gilroy's editing and writer Dan Gilroy's directing - it's sleek, it's crisp, it's energetic, it works wonderfully with Gyllenhaal's acting to gradually push you to the edge of your seat so that by the nail-biting final act, you're practically falling into the aisle. The road scenes in 'Nightcrawler' are especially good, boasting some of the most brilliant camerawork I've seen this year. Its strongly reminiscent stylistically and visually of Nicolas Winding Refn's masterpiece 'Drive', especially in the way its more action-oriented scenes are shot and the way it handles its L.A. scenery. Robert Elswit, a skilled veteran of cinematography whose work dazzles me on P.T. Anderson features, deserves credit for his gorgeous landscape shots of the city in 'Nightcrawler.'

It's everything I could want in a thriller and it's well worth the watch. One of the year's most demented and brilliant films, 'Nightcrawler' is something special in the canon of crime thriller and deserves all the recognition it can get.