There is nothing quite as satisfactory as watching a film portray people in society as the pigs they truly are.

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2015)

If you're looking for a film that will do just that, Nightcrawler is the one to see. This movie exposes the perverse nature of human entertainment and competition right in front of us, and while you might think it's something that won't affect you, this movie makes it apparent that no one is truly safe from the hands of those determined to get what they want.
Set in the dumpy outskirts of Los Angeles, the main character, Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), is a lone man who is tight on funds and looking for a job. One night he stumbles upon the scene of an accident, where he witnesses a news crew getting in and filming raw footage to sell to TV stations around the city. He is instantly intrigued. After purchasing a camcorder and police scanner and hiring a broke assistant, he sets out to get his own footage that he hopes he'll be able to profit from as well. Soon he learns that the news filming business is more competitive than it appears. The news stations want more and more dramatic footage for their morning broadcasts, and he will do whatever it takes to get higher and higher towards achieving that.
But here's the catch; Lou is no ordinary man just looking to make his way in the world. It quickly becomes apparent that there's something off about this character. He may act friendly, but behind the mask of that creepy smile lies a person severely lacking in empathy and emotion. The perverse plotting and ultimatums he lays out towards anyone who stands in his way of success shines light into the disturbed mind of a very evident sociopath. The story spins further out of control as Lou demands more and more drama and action to report on, stopping at nothing to be the best in the business, even when it comes to breaking the law. He figures out that if he can beat the police to an area, he can modify the scene to make it look even better on film. Gyllenhaal does a remarkable job at showing the character of a cold blooded villain trying to convince himself and others that he's a normal part of society. The movie really excels at realistically portraying all of the different people and motives that make up modern society, even the less desirable ones.
The downward spiral of this film not only shows the perversity of a sociopath, but of TV viewers themselves. We constantly crave more and more violence and on the scene drama, and the television stations will bring it to us as long as there's a demand. All sorts of ethical boundaries are overstepped for the sake of viewers' entertainment. While Nightcrawler's sociopathic character may be individually responsible for certain events on screen, this movie also showcases the more subtle problem that is society's fault at large. Just how far are we willing to go to see what we want to see?
Nightcrawler is one of those films that's unsettling simply because it's so realistic. Everything on screen could and probably does happen in real life. News crews spinning out stories just to gain ratings, journalists overstepping ethical boundaries to build attention for themselves, all of these things are something that we as society are only fueling with our desire for entertainment. And apparently it takes a true sociopath to bring it all to the table for us.
Overall, I'd give this movie 9 out of 10 stars. The whole plot was totally intriguing, but the end doesn't leave with much closure. Maybe that was the director's intent due to the nature of the disturbing storyline. It just left me wanting to see more. Nightcrawler ended up being a delightfully creepy film to watch, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mindboggling thriller.