Film review: Nightcrawler

This movie is largely credited for its voice and the commentary of the media world. What happens when people operate just below the threshold of the law just because they can? In the world that was set out for us in ‘Nightcrawler’, Lou Bloom is a psychopathic, ‘hungry coyote’ as Jake Gyllenhaal described the character himself. Filmmakers decided they wanted to depict him as a bad person early so that there was no illusion that it was the job that did it to him.

The escalation of Bloom’s obsession with tiny margins, getting the furthest forward and arriving minutes earlier, was masterfully paced. Each jump was a bit more of a shock, but it felt in line with the character. Bloom’s fascination with obtaining sensitive footage gave me the impression that he fit the profile of the serial killer that may have caused these crimes, but just so happened to have gone down the more civilised route for satisfying these cravings. It was a fantastic concept to discard a character arc and go instead with a slope, slightly more old fashioned and yet quite unique in this era of film.

The insight it gave into the inner works of deadline TV news and the aggressive reporting style was very interesting. The commentary behind emphasising and repeating certain words to stir a panic made for some thought-provoking commentary on the way the media has evolved. Drama and cinematics creeping into every form of media and what it leads to when the change happens to gradually for the consumers to be aware of it.

Moving away from the film’s implications, the tension and acting in Nightcrawler was at the top of its field. It probably served as Jake Gyllenhaal’s inauguration as one of the top actors in Hollywood, but to no detriment of the effort and script of the film. The way crime was unveiled with shock and fear, just to be romanticised as soon as recorded through a lens made for a lovely complex piece of drama.

Rating: 8.5/10