Nightcrawler is a twisted tale of the American Dream. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a high-strung, highly driven entrepreneur who discovers he can make a quick buck by selling video footage of crime scenes to the local news.

 

Gyllenhaal is mesmerizing as Lou and gives one of the best performances of the year. Lou is wide-eyed and emaciated and comes across as dangerously unhinged throughout the whole film. He's gaunt and sickly and often sports a creepy Cheshire Cat smile. Lou will literally do anything to get ahead in his field and succeed.

 

Like Robert De Niro in The King of Comedy, Lou is endearing, but clearly deranged. He has no problem trading video of horrific events just to make a quick buck, like a warped form of currency. 

 

As bizarre as Lou is, the film begs the question - who is worse? The man video taping the victims of horrible crimes and accidents, or the cut-throat members of the news that are buying it? Perhaps it's the viewers who are most to blame. They crave images of tragedy that befalls others as part of their breakfast routine.

 

Nighcrawler is beautifully shot and really captures the seedy underbelly of L.A. Like New York City in Taxi Driver or L.A. in Collateral, the city is literally another character. It feels unpredictable and dangerous, just like the lead character.

 

Nightcrawler is one of better films that chronicles the ambiguous nature of the news business.  In fact, it skewers it pretty good.  Especially the lives of news producers, who are constantly under pressure for ratings. Rene Russo bursts back on the scene as a morally bankrupt producer who is just as determined as Lou to get ahead in the business.

 

Nightcrawler is one of the best films of the year and features a standout performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.