Nightcrawler Review

Justin and I saw Nightcrawler on November 1, 2014!! I had been interested in this movie since I saw the first trailer. I found this movie to be quite interesting. It gives us a unique look into the world of the media, particularly news stories, specifically Los Angeles crime journalism. I liked looking at the inner workings of a news station, and the way the production team tells the announcers how to spin a piece, frame their sentences, and basically what to really focus on primarily for that particular broadcast.

In this movie, we watch a man named Louis Bloom, who is the embodiment of attaining goals through any means necessary. From the outset you get the idea, that this guy is eccentric & plays by his own rules. He's a man desperate for work. He finds a way into the world of crime journalism by weasling his way into crime scenes, while also showing how intelligent he is. It's actually quite scary how meticulous his planning is at every stage of the movie.

Jake Gyllenhaal was absolutely incredible in this movie. It honestly was my favorite performance of his since Donnie Darko, and I've seen pretty much all of his movies. He perfectly created this character that has a unique view of humanity and spins it for his own maniacal pleasure. He plays everybody he meets. He doesn't stop negotiating until he gets what he wants.  Gyllenhaal was perfect in this role. His charisma throughout this movie mixed with the creepiness of the character's tone worked so well. He's always one step ahead of everybody, and I personally loved watching that. Obstacles keep getting placed in front of him, but he navigates his way though them. While Bloom plays an observer, his methods are designed to make him the star.

While there are great performances by other actors, namely Rene Russo who did a great job as the news manager Nina, and a great cameo by Bill Paxton as a fellow Nightcrawler named Joe Loder (I thought Paxton was the best casting for the veteran Nightcrawler), Gyllenhaal is clearly the star of this movie. Some of the scenes kept you on the edge of your seat. The best part of watching these scenes is that you're watching Bloom shape the story in his own way. I think the main story at the end that shows crime filtering into affluent Los Angeles was handled in such an interesting manner. You see Bloom's thinking through every stage of this. His dialogue scenes with Nina, his employee Rick, and police detectives are so mesmerizing. Instances of scenes where I thought the dialogue was great: a Mexican restaurant with Nina, a discussion about a raise with Rick, and basic interrogation questions with the detectives.

I give this movie a 4/5 for a memorable awards worthy performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, memorable scenes, and a great look into the inner workings of a television news network. I encourage people to see this movie simply to watch how cerebral & hauntingly charismatic Gyllenhaal's Louis Bloom character is.