Nightcrawler is the tale of Lou Bloom a man who is down on his luck looking for a permanent job. Describing himself as 'Who am I? I'm a hard worker. I set high goals and I've been told I'm persistent'. One night whilst driving home Lou witnesses a car crash being filmed by a stringer. Inspired by this Lou acquires a camcorder and a police scanner and sets out to become a stringer. Discovering he has a talent for it, from their strives to be the best no matter what.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom I'm a huge fan of his acting and this for me is his best performance. He dropped over 20 pounds in weight for the role, he barely slept, his face caved in and his eyes began to bulge out. The character he plays is almost scary sometimes, he is insidious, amoral, corrupting and relentless. Yet you still find yourself rooting for Lou. Terrorizing all those around him and Jake plays it brilliantly. Delivering a scary yet stunning performance. Where at times you find yourself scared of him. You don't see Jake Gyllenhaal in this film you see Lou Bloom. Rene Russo stars as Nina Sharp a veteran of TV news a relentless women who wants the most captivating stories to earn the best ratings. Mainly seeking violent incidents in suburban neighborhoods as they attract most viewers. She buys Lou's first footage and from their they begin there almost exclusive partnership. Rene Russo gives a brilliant performance, playing a strong female character who will do anything to hold onto her job and get the best ratings. Almost captivating whenever she is on screen at some points stealing the show from Gyllenhaal. Riz Ahmed plays Rick a young man desperate for money who Lou hires as his assistant. Riz Ahmed is a great actor and in this film he truly shines. A truly brilliant intense performance. A character who becomes almost addicted to his abusive work relationship with Lou and ultimately becomes Lou's victim. There are strong performances from all the cast in this film from Bill Paxton playing Lou's cocky rival too Michael Hyatt playing Detective Frontieri who is looking to take down Lou.
This film is a pitch black satire an exploration of American news culture and capitalism. A truly compelling movie. The character of Lou at times comes across as crazy but more than anything he is a product of his environment. He does monstrous things but he is not a monster. More than anything Lou is the American dream at its most basic form a self made man conquering the streets of LA. Quoting from the self help books and how to succeed manuals in order to advance.
This film looks beautiful the way they capture the streets of LA the people, the night life and the corruption. The cinematography and lighting are truly captivating constantly matching the mood of the film. Creating almost a chilling feeling from both the cinematography and the soundtrack. The film explores the American dream, what truly drives people and their need to succeed. A dark success story and almost a study of what people are willing to do to get ahead. Nightcrawler leaves an almost strange uncomfortable feeling even making you almost question yourself, what lengths you would go to succeed to be the best to achieve the "American Dream". If you're into dark captivating thrillers this film is for you. Offering a truly brilliant original story and fantastic strong performances all around. Watch Nightcrawler. It is one of my favorite films and hopefully after watching it, it will become one of yours.
4/4 Stars
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