Director: Dan Gilroy
Writer: Dan Gilroy
Genre: neo-noir, thriller, crime
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton
Runtime: 117 minutes
Language: English
Box Office: $50.3millions (After an $8.5 million Budget)
Overview
Written and directed by Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler is a sinister, psychological thriller that ventures into the unsettling milieu of crime journalism and the media’s sensational portrayals of it. The film showcases Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a sociopathic drifter and con artist, who succeeds in skirting various societal systems. In the world of freelance crime journalism, known morally as “Nightcrawling” Bloom rises to infamy and profits.
Boasting of a haunting performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, the thriller dives into the modern media, ambition, and the rot that accompanies fame. From one the most critical scenes, where Bloom adeptly quips “I am the ‘Nightcrawler’”, it feels ghastly and mesmerizing at the same time. Tighten your seatbelts as this bone-chilling thriller breaks and shatters every boundary from start to finish.
Plot Summary
In the film ‘Nightcrawler,’ one of the main characters, Louis “Lou” Bloom, is played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Bloom is a cold man who is unable to find decent work in Los Angeles. However, he continues searching for opportunities with great fervor. His career in crime journalism kicks off after he comes across a freelance journalist recording a fatal car crash for a local television channel. Driven by a new passion, he purchases cheap camcorder, hires Rick, a struggling assistant played by Riz Ahmed, and begins documenting violent scenes to sell to Nina Romina, a news director played by Rene Russo.
As Nina receives clips from Lou depicting increasingly violent footage, she encourages him to blur moral boundaries in order to capture even more shocking news. However, Lou no longer remains a passive witness. He starts manipulating crime scenes, feeding false information to the police, and even omitting details worked to his advantage to extract the most stunning footage.
One of the most disturbing and gripping footage Lou captures is of an ongoing home invasion while making sure not to call the police so he could follow the criminals and film their arrest. Lous actions in the film’s final moments takes a shocking turn where he shoots an innocent man when he himself is not able to justify it. The finale ultimately demonstrates how in Lou’s world, achieving success comes at the cost of human life.
In the movie’s closing moments, he can be seen fully transforming into a heartless businessman, severing all ties and nurturing an intern pool in order to expand his operation. In doing so, he leaves behind a world decay and destruction.
Themes & Symbolism
- The Corruption of Ambition
Lou begins as a lowly individual but acquires power through the employment of violence and tragedy. His ambition serves as the epitome of modern capitalism.
- Media Sensationalism & Exploitation
The news chasing Lou along with Nina emphasized the importance of viewers, which is analogous to the reality where the media is more concerned with shocking the audience instead of uncovering the truth.
- Sociopathy & Manipulation
Lou portrays extreme sociopathic behavior, which is characterized by charm, intelligence, and a total lack of compassion.
- The American Dream, Twisted
Lou subscribes to the self-made man mythos, but differs in the sense that he achieves success through perpetuating falsehoods, manipulation, and human suffering.
Performances & Character Analysis
Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis “Lou” Bloom
🏆 One of Gyllenhaal’s most praised performances.
Gyllenhaal’s transformation into Lou is remarkable––he shed 30 pounds which makes him more gaunt and adds a ravenous undertone to the role. It is his soulless gaze, vexedly passionate demeanor, and emotional emptiness that makes Lou one of the most disturbing modern antiheroes.
Rene Russo as Nina Romina
Nina is a symbol of Lou’s drive, eager to get ahead and willing to abandon her principles. Russo chillingly and wonderfully captures the despair of a news producer that is desperate as she tries to claw her way towards the top.
Riz Ahmed as Rick
Rick operates as the audience’s inner voice that displays fear and uncertainty as Lou pulls him deeper into his criminal world. His death is evidence to Lou’s view of people as mere tools, and nothing more.
Bill Paxton as Joe Loder
Joe is and has always been a nightcrawler, and in Lou’s world, he is competition. That is, until he “accidentally” kills him, highlighting his sadistic personality.
Critical Reception & Box Office
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% (Critics)/ 86% (Audience Score)
Metacritic: 76 (Generally Favorable Reviews)
Box Office : $50.3 million global sales
Positive Reviews:
✔ Jake Gyllenhaal’s Performance – Many commend him for his phenomenal execution as Lou Bloom.
✔ Sharp Social Commentary – The film’s take on media ambition and ethics was highly impactful.
✔ Stylish Cinematography – The glitzy LA skyline creates a neo-noir ambience to the movie.
Criticisms:
❌ Unlikable Main Character – Lou became too repugnant for some which hindered their ability to relate to the story.
❌ Slow Pacing at Times – This is a slow burning film which can be frustrating at times.
Notable Scenes & Most Disturbing Moments
- The Initial Crime Scene
Lou zooms into a crash sight straight into the bleeding victim’s face, marking his moral free fall.
- Lou Adjusts A Crime Scene To His Convenience
Dragging the corpse away demonstrates his great level of care and comprehension of the tragedy. It shows how he misunderstands tragedy to be a business opportunity.
- The Footage Of The Home Invasion
Lou tracks the murderers instead of contacting the cops because he wants to capture all the action in a single take.
- Rick’s Happens to be Lou’s Most Valuable Asset
Sans any emotion, Lou documents the tragedy that ensues after Rick puts himself in danger, which subsequently culminates into his death.
- The Last Frame- The Expanding Lou’s Portfolio
Lou, his famous narration to inexperienced hands;
“Consequences means you will take responsibility for everything you do, including over promising”
which serves as another example of him being completely immoral.
Production and Behind The Scenes
Gyllenhaal’s shift that forced him to drop 30 pounds and lose sleep means he was ready to be in Lou’s head.
Source For Real Crime Journalism – The film is based on true stories of those that run towards crime filled scenes seeking to report stories to tell the public.
Heavily Inexperienced Approaches, No CGI – The footage that was shot to depict these events were done so with the aid of little to no cgi and were made as true as possible.
Final Thoughts: Should You Watch It?
✅ Watch it if you would like to see:
✔ Dark psychological thrillers (Taxi Driver, Joker)
✔ Films focusing on media ethics (Network, Gone Girl)
✔ Neo-noir with heavy crime focus and strong acting
❌ Skip it if you dislike:
✖ Morally disturbing stories that could be dark
✖ Stories with a lead character written for you to dislike
✖ Slow-burn, heavy dialogue driven thrillers
Final Verdict: A Disturbing Yet Brilliant Thriller
Stands out as one of the most brilliant examples of media-centric moral decay. Nightcrawler is a very intense and disturbing portrayal of gory world through media and covered with media corruption tagline. Jake Gyllenhaal makes it even more disturbing with nightcrawler sharp performance. For people who love questioning society especially through neo-noir thrillers, this movie is unquestionable. 🎥🔪