Slick, but wafer-thin, obvious; a disappointment.

Rating: 6/10 (19 April 2015)

Haven't we already had some movies that touched on this kind of would-be journalism? Wasn't there a movie called Paparazzo back in about 2004, or something like that? Didn't Joe Pesci once make something called 'Jimmy Hollywood' back in the early 90s that had a similar theme? True, those movies are not specifically about gruesome crime journalism, but the idea of edgy loners going out and merely showing up with a camera didn't sound too original. I was hoping for more than I got.
That said, Nightcrawler is not going to bore you. It may only make you wish they had done it better. The story deals with an asocial loner (Gyllenhaal) attempting to break into television journalism with nothing more than a camera and a police scanner. Clueless at first, the young man discovers he has good instincts. Then, he finds a ratings-challenged news station that is willing to pay him good money for gory footage of crime and accidents; things the mean streets of L.A. would seem to have a lot of. Within mere moments of screen time, Gyllenhaal has graduated to having a fast sports car, top shelf equipment, and even an assistant. His footage is a potential career saver for TV journalist Rene Russo. But there is competition for this bloody footage (surprisingly little, though) and soon Jake finds himself not only recording the blood, but sometimes thinking he has to cause it as well. He finds himself compelled to sabotage his primary competitor, demand sexual favors from Russo, withhold the identities of multi-murderers, and even sacrifice his partner's life. When will his world come crashing down on him? Or will it?
That little synopsis is more compelling than many of the scenes. The script plays like a first draft, with no major plot twists that you cannot see coming from a mile away. Some possibilities are offered, then left to dry up on the vine. The manner in which Jake films the mass shooting at a swanky home, leads the viewer to expect that he will in fact be a suspect in the crime. It would not surprise me to learn there is a different draft in which they did actually go that route, and some of the shots were set up to move the story in that direction. Alas, Jake is merely accused only of withholding the identities of the killers. A detective threatens him harshly at his apartment about the possibility he could be charged with obstruction and whatnot. NOTHING comes of this scene. Nothing. Gyllenhaal's performance is uneven. In the first half of the film, he seems to be aping Travis Bickle with his asocial honesty and lack of people skills. By the second act, he is a cold know-it-all who talks down to his assistant and the people at the TV station. By the film's final act, he is a slick, slimy pseudo TV producer. It just doesn't seem like he'd morph so quickly. And if this business is so competitive, why is Bill Paxton the only other guy who seems to show up and compete for footage? This coulda, and shoulda been better. 6 of 10 stars.
The Hound.