8/10

The pressures to succeed are deep inside all of us, but no greater pressure than that of living under the stars of Los Angeles at night. Meet Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a passionatly driven young man hungry for work who discovers the high-speed world of nightcrawlers. Their job is that of a freelance camera crew who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the fast paced, dangerous realm of the troubles plaguing the richest neighborhoods of LA’s suburbia. Lou takes this profession one step further. Bluring the lines of truth for millions to watch. Nightcrawler satisfied every yearning inside of me for a scary tale this Halloween weeekend without featuring an unstoppable monster back from the dead. The monster here is every bit human and commits human sins. His drives are money, power, and recognition. Making the film’s main character this relatable is a brilliant idea by director Dan Gilroy. The film paints those of us who watch these kind of blood wrapped stories day after day as the true nightcrawlers without ever truly feeling preachy. It’s a sort of satire on those who perpetuate the kind of fear mongering by news stations to instill panic in their viewers for cheap ratings. Gilroy is surprisingly a first time director, but has such a presence behind the camera with LA itself playing a character in this film much like it did in 2006’s “Drive”. The fact that 90% of the film is shot at night isn’t an accident, as it feels like that is when the true ugly comes out for the nightcrawlers to feast on. Gyllenhaal lost 25 pounds for the role, and i think the subtle meaning of his appearance does wonders for the backstory of his character. He looks pale and ghostly, and this gives him a hunger not only for a job, but to show that this character is living hungry in his day to day life to stay afloat. In my opinion, this is Gyllenhaal’s best role ever (yes i said it). As Bloom, he is a fast talking businessman who is always processing new facts about the job he has chosen, and even becomes smart enough to use it against the same people who hired him. He spits facts at them to paint a picture that they let the beast in, and now they are stuck with him. Some of those door openers include a richly experienced cast like Bill Paxton, Anne Cusack, and the yin to Gyllenhaal’s yang, Rene Russo. Russo serves as a love interest and boss to Bloom, and this makes for more than one brilliantly written exchanges between the two. I think the movie excels at it’s best when the two are discussing deals with all of their cards laid out on the table. Russo has the biggest character change in the film, and it’s interesting to see the difference on the moral battlegrounds that she started the film with, and then changes her tune by film’s end when it comes to her survival as a program manager. The audience may have a problem with some of the footage that they use because it may seem a little too violent for TV, but there is more of a political commentary going on here from Gilroy presenting the blurred line of television journalism that keeps getting thinner and thinner. If he didn’t use this footage, the message wouldn’t be as strong when we see what our protagonist/antagonist does to get to the top. That is another great thing about this film; the good guy and the bad guy are that of the same character. This is represented almost in an “American Psycho” kind of feel to it. We know what Bloom is doing is wrong, but we can’t stop rooting for him. I definitely recommend this film to everyone who gets to a theater this holiday weekend. “Nightcrawler” is stylish, thought provoking, and smart in the world it presents. It’s one of the most brutally honest American rags to riches stories that i have ever seen.