nightcrawler

Movies I've Seen in 2014 - Nightcrawler

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal

Supporting: Bill Paxton, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed

Directed by: Dan Gilroy

Plot: Desperate for work, Lou Bloom stumbles upon the art of "nightcrawling" otherwise known as filming for late-night L.A. crime. Aided by a news veteran, he soon finds success, but with it comes a deep spiral into madness, blurring the lines between work and ethics.

REVIEW

Gyllenhaal has been on fire with his movie roles lately. Choosing instead to play meatier, darker characters rather than star in the latest blockbuster (sorry, Prince of Persia) Gyllenhaal has clearly found his place when immersing himself in the creepiest and/or most complex character that he can find. He proves his chops in Nightcrawler, a well-written and directed film about sociopath, Lou Bloom, and his escapades in L.A. crime. While there happen to be some plot holes, and there could be more character development and back story, it's clear that this is Gyllenhaal's rodeo. While it may not be an award season contender, it's safe to say that Gyllenhaal has made his mark as a talented actor that's only just begun to find his footing. 

For Gilroy's first film, the result is not that bad; in fact it's pretty good. The guy knows that a movie with this plot requires no fake filling: it is raw, it is blunt, and it is bloody. The beautiful L.A. shots, taken by the talented Robert Elswit, transport the audience into that seedy, late-night mindset. It's beautiful and unsettling, setting a good tone for what's to come. Occasionally, certain shots feel a bit overused. There are lots of quick cuts, but it feels that as Lou finds his footing in his environment, so does the film. The pace begins to fit, until it leads up to a high-intensity ending that's bound to leave the audience clenching their fists. It's a bit slow at first, but it's interesting to watch Gyllenhaal's character's filming improve, in fact at times, the cinematography of the news clips feel so professional that it completely grasps my attention (good or bad thing, you decide). If Nightcrawler is just the beginning of what Gilroy has up his sleeve as a director, I'm excited. 

Plot-wise, it's impossible to say this movie isn't interesting. A bit cliché, yes, but interesting nonetheless (oh an already creepy Gyllenhaal gets even creepier as the movie goes on? Shocker!). Already getting comparisons to Network (though I've never seen that to either prove or dismiss the claims), the idea of a man, so deranged and driven in his work, to not just seek out tragedies, but even alter and "play God" with them, is all at once exhilarating, terrifying, and just eye-catching. It's hard to tear your eyes away when you just constantly want to know "what would Lou do next?" I admit, it starts off slow. There's no back story, nothing: just sheer time for story development, and more importantly, character development for Gyllenhaal (and an incredibly intriguing one at that). The quotes and ethics manor of the whole film (Russo's character telling Bloom that no one would watch a shooting in Campton, but a rich white suburban family in a tragedy is news gold is just shocking to hear, but we can't say it's not new) only adds to the overall concept. The film is laced with the most shocking and controversial ideas and quotes, such as Bloom looking at a fellow nightcrawler in fatal condition and just simply stating "[He's] not [one of us] anymore, he's a sale," is just so cold, but it's that lack of empathy that fits so well. Of course, there's plenty of other quotable sayings, one of the more popular ones bound to be quoted by probably every single Nightcrawler review is said by Russo's character, with the quote "think of our newscast as a screaming woman with her throat cut." That alone is enough to give the audience a quick feel of what's to come.

The performances are fitting. Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed are fitting in their parts; Paxton, as the fellow nightcrawler/largest competition, and Ahmed as Bloom's loyal co-worker, broke and just looking for a way to make money. Russo does the best out of all the side characters, giving her cold-blooded tv news anchor life in a role that given to the wrong actress, could easily have been two-dimensional. However, like any reviewer would say, this is Gyllenhaal's show. He steals the whole film with just a glance. His eyes are wild and bulging, his body gaunt with bones protruding; it makes you feel as if he's just empty inside, a vessel with no baggage. Whether or not it was Gyllenhaal's choice, his weight loss gave Bloom exactly what he needed. Without such a creepy, haunting exterior, who knows if the character would've been the same. Like mentioned, Gyllenhaal has been on point with his performances. From End of Watch to Prisoners and most recently Enemy, Gyllenhaal proves he has what it takes to be taken seriously as an actor. He gives what some might say is his greatest performance (but what I say is just one of many) in Nightcrawler. He does not play Louis Bloom, he is Louis Bloom. Every stare, every breath, every word he speaks is Louis. He dominates at his long monologues, saying them with a twinge of dark humour and psychopathy hidden behind it, but yet appearing dead serious all at the same time (proof? Watch the monologue he has with Russo's character about halfway through the movie. You want to laugh and cringe when you see how serious he is with his words). He speaks a mile a minute and is so manipulative; he is a sociologist's/psychologist's dream. Even without dialogue (Gyllenhaal's mirror freak-out: brief but breathtaking), you can't take your eyes off of him. I'd be damned if Gyllenhaal doesn't get any sort of praise for this. 

All in all, it has its flaws, yes, but it's definitely worth a shot. The plot is great and well-thought out, even with its holes. Its dark and gritty and bound to make you uncomfortable, but that's the point. What you see is not supposed to be happy, but supposed to be a minor wake up call. Like mentioned (a thousand times) though, this is mainly for Gyllenhaal. He gives an amazing performance as Lou Bloom, transforming himself, inside and out, to be the most sociopathic, heartless person you've ever met, possibly even entering himself into the Hollywood Hall of Fame of sociopaths (there's a beautiful magazine article comparing Lou Blom on a scale to other sociopaths, I forgot which one but it's beautiful... apparently he's a few knocks below Arthur Leigh Allen from Zodiac, another Gyllenhaal film). Is it Oscar-worthy? Most likely not. Does it have the makings of a cult classic? Highly probable. And if all that I've been mentioning won't convince you to give it a shot, well, you're missing out on quite a great experience.