Genre:
Thriller
Distributor:
Entertainment One
Rating: 15
Director:
Dan Gilroy
Cast:
Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed
Release: 2nd March 2015
Dan Gilroy has made one of the most impressive directorial debuts in a long time with Nightcrawler. However he is not strictly a newcomer to the scene, having cut his teeth being a writer for hire for 3 decades before getting his chance to direct something. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead Louis Bloom and it ranks amongst his best work in films alongside Donnie Darko and Zodiac.
Louis Bloom is desperate for some work, and worms his way into becoming a freelance news cameraman. However he starts arriving at crime scenes in order to get better footage, and he hires the naïve assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed) who is desperate for money. Who knows the lengths that Lou will go to get the best news story he can.
Much has been said for Gyllenhaal’s performance in Nightcrawler, especially after he was shamefully snubbed at the Oscars. Many are calling it a “career-defining role” but it seems like people forgot he was once in Donnie Darko, giving one of the finest performances a young actor has ever given; just that smile alone is priceless, and it wouldn't be stretch to call him the finest actor of his generation. Gyllenhaal perfectly channels Robert De Niro’s performances in Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy into making Louis this charming sociopathic character he is. In interviews Gyllenhaal has described the character as a “human coyote” and you can see that at times he even physically resembles a coyote.
Nightcrawler also has an impressive supporting cast, Bill Paxton plays his rival freelance cameraman and it’s also nice to see him in something he can sink his teeth in. Riz Ahmed is great and I didn't even realize he was the main guy from Four Lions. Rene Russo has also had lots of acclaim as the news director, and it is richly deserved. She seems to have disappeared for a long time but she is back in a big new way.
The script by Gilroy is a great piece of writing alone and it’s shocking to think except for the brilliant The Fall, he has written rather bland films before this. It expertly shifts between tones, from some very funny moments to some moments that will send a shiver down your spine. It’s the mark of a writer/director that understands film so well that it should seem jarring in the hands of a less assured director. It is also expertly shot by Robert Elswit who is best known for his astonishing work with Paul Thomas Anderson. Nightcrawler is just another example of his excellent work.
In closing, Nightcrawler is one of 2014’s best films. It’s a near perfect film in almost every respect, moving at a quick pace during the 2 hours. The film just proves again that Gyllenhaal is the finest actor of his generation, and Dan Gilroy is a director to be reckoned with. I'm very excited to see what he does next, but a modern classic such as Nightcrawler is a hard film to top.
The blu-ray includes a commentary with Gilroy and a 5-minute making of featurette.
★★★★★
AI think Nightcrawler is a highly underrated film should have gotten more nominees for the Oscars call him new Travis bickle, maybe as you said in the review certainly channels the energy, emotion, the sociopathic qualities of the character , Nightcrawler is a far superior film to the theory of everything, probably never got anything because it was too dark for Oscar jury, good review Ian
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