Thoughtfully engaging and swarming with brainy social commentary, Nightcrawler is an absorbing punch

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2015)

Nightcrawler is one of those rare thrillers with more intelligent to offer than just a wind of heart-thumping thrills and atmosphere. As a matter of fact, this film directed by the likeness of Dan Gilroy, is less about delivering thrills than having something smart to say about the culture of mass media. In a world where mass media has taken some questionable measures on delivering the news of what is going around the country and around the world, there has plenty of wonder what goes on behind the curtains the news network, and very few answers. With the news media revolutionized over the last several decades and ethics twisted to mysterious measures, this film places actor Jake Gyllenhaal in a thought-provoking character study of a man tackling the enigmatic world of journalism. And the result of Dan Gilroy's thoughtful direction and screenplay is an unpredictable ride dazzled with plenty of food for thought. This film follows Louis Bloom (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a Los Angeles native stuck on the employment sidelines and making money off of selling scrap metal he steals from strangers. Before too long, he takes interest in filming crime scenes and selling his footage to a local news station run by the ambitious Nina Romina (played by Rene Russo). With her news station improving in business and Bloom's filming talent reaching new heights, he hires Rick (played by Riz Ahmed) as his partner. But with his charismatic talent growing, Bloom begins to cross the lines between right and wrong in an effort to deliver the news the city of Los Angeles is asking for.
This film is a smart cinematic treat that has a lot to say about the what goes behind the scenes of television news networks, and it all begins with: The news is a dirty business. And thanks to Dan Gilroy's directing chops and intellectually engaging narrative, this film has a nifty way to supporting this claim. The central figure of this story is Jake Gyllenhaal's Louis Bloom, an antisocial individual who strays on the wrong side of the moral compass the minute he is introduced on screen, and develops into a mysteriously corrupt entity on both the moral and ethical department upon entering the news business. He is significantly manipulative, and his partnership with Rene Russo's Nina Romina and Riz Ahmed's Rick accounts to some shocking and corrupt situations. Is he a likable person? Definitely not. But he's an interesting character who serves as an allusion of how mass media in our country is today. In an era where the news media has evolved with a bigger concern on garnering high ratings than feeding the truth of what's go around the world, the film fiddles with the message "If it bleeds, it leads" and places it into sharp perspective. The stunning outcome is a story with both an absorbing atmosphere and a brain. Jake Gyllenhaal in particularly, is another spot in his flick. Maintaining a gaunt figure and bugsy eyes, Gyllenhaal gives a sweeping performance that thoroughly suits his character's callous personality and mystifying nature.
Nightcrawler is a thoughtfully engaging ride shining with plenty of wit and thrills from Dan Gilroy's direction and writing, along with a striking delivery by Jake Gyllenhaal that sheds light on his acting chops. It is an entertaining hit on both a narrative and visual perspective. That is of course for those who bother to take interest in the sociological subject matter.