By Maria Rojas
NIGHTCRAWLER is a suspenseful ride that has so many thrilling turns into the dark and seedy nocturnal world of Los Angeles.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as the lead role Lou Bloom, will leave you both charmed and terrified from scene to scene. His character is a highly driven young man who is desperate for work and ends up being drawn into the wild world of crime Journalism.
Like a scavenger that only comes out a night, he’s curiosity about things leads him to an accident and watches as a camera crew which is lead by Bill Paxton, film the chaotic scene with pure joy. So after Bloom fixates on a career ideally suited for his closed off yet prying mind. He quickly begins to buy all the equipment needed to listen for crimes in progress off police scanners and with his cut-throat persona he starts to be the first man on the scene beating out the other competition of freelance camera crews.
Each scene of Bloom is set in his everyday life is very still and detached from the outside world. He spends every morning in his drab apartment alone and connected only to his plant he waters everyday. It’s not until the sun goes down that we see a different side of him, one that has no limits and is after the chase.
He is able to establish business relationship that turns into a twisted web of moral boundaries with a desperate graveyard shift news director for a local news channel. Nina is played by hard-hitting Rene Russo. Their relationship becomes a parallel bond in which Bloom is in the business of selling footage of crime scenes that push the boundaries of what should be aired and Nina is sensing her career slip away from her that she sees Bloom as her ticket back to the top.
In direr need of viewers Nina takes a risk with Bloom and airs his gruesome footage on the morning news making her program a hit. Quickly Nina realizes that the bond she is creating with Bloom is one that will be hard to break.
The only other person we see Bloom connect with besides Nina is a homeless man Bloom hires to be his ride-along intern. Bloom becomes the best in his field and hires Rick, played by Riz Ahmed (“Four Lions”) to help him navigate this nighttime world of murders, fires, car accidents and giant crimes. Rick’s job is to man the GPS as Bloom drives at high speeds and recklessly in and out of Los Angeles traffic.
Rapidly, the two of them form a great team at being the first crew to capture the footage of these crimes. Bloom is hard on Rick but he knows to capture the footage he needs, he is going t need a crew. Rick become drawn into this wild world and slowly must take the same risks Bloom is so quick to do. The risks and lines they cross together seem to escalate quickly and later he is given a choice by Bloom to take a huge risk that will eventually endanger the lives of many.
This is the directorial debut for writer and director Dan Gilroy. Gilroy was hell-bent on making a film that showcased a strong character of how our society is willing to take risks at any cost in search of glory. Gilroy with the help of Gyllenhaal made the character of Bloom so relatable mostly, by giving him such strong intent and traits that stay with you long after the film is done. Bloom is a force to be reckoned with by his main ability to command control of his world simply with his power of language. He was able to slip his way to the top by convincing everyone he came encounter with of his resilient knowhow and rock-solid beliefs on life.
A line of his that was repeated throughout the film was, “You have to make the money to buy a ticket.” This is Bloom’s mindset completely and it is a reflection on the Capitalistic world Gilroy wanted to unveil in his film.
Jake Gyllenhaal worked hard at creating this character to fit in the backdrop of the dark city of Los Angeles that attracts both success and corruption. Gyllenhaal lost 20 pounds in order to feel more like the character Gilroy envisioned.
Nightcrawler is a dark comedy that leaves audience connecting with each character at some level. We all know or have been in situations that leave us questioning what limits we are will to push and in order to reach success. Gilroy is a force to be considered with such raw and true power racing out the gate. It’s not only an impressive showcase of strong talent but also a brilliant visual attempt, I highly recommend this film.
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