One of the greatest character studies on a potential TMZ employee!

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2015)

Nightcrawler is written and directed by debuting director Dan Gilroy and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo.
In the luminous city of LA, a creepy lunatic named Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is desperate for work and discovers the world of LA crime journalism. He starts his career as a photographer, who goes to crazy lenghts to get his perfect shootings while pissing everyone off. This guy would do wonders at TMZ! Bloom starts becoming very good at his new job and hires a poor lackey (Riz Ahmed) as his driver. He begins selling his shootings to a local news station, run by Nina Romina (Rene Russo). Bloom shootings gets crazier as time goes, while Romina continues to buy his shootings, even if she finds them too morbid at times. How far does it take for Bloom to break the line between being the observer or the participant of the crime scene?
This movie is absolutely amazing and my favorite movie of 2014. Not only is Dan Gilroy's debut movie a good commentary on crime journalism in the media, it is a fantastic character study on one of the most memorable movie characters in recent memory.
Louis Bloom is mysterious, creepy and unsettling, but first of all, he is a complete nut-case, who at no point is supposed to be a good guy in any way. We are literally introduced to this character as he is about to commit two types of crime! Now you may think that watching a entire movie about an unlikeable villain can be a chore to sit through, but this is where Louis Bloom is even more interesting. Bloom is completely unpredictable, as you really do not know how far this man will go to receive his paycheck.
''To win the lottery, you got to make the money to buy a ticket'' is said at the beginning by Louis Bloom and it is this quote that perfectly describes his character. Bloom has already been interpreted by many kinds of people, each with their own unique view on the character. Is he mentally unstable? Is he a tragically misunderstood person? Is he the devil? Whatever the case, the character of Louis Bloom is what carries the viewer's interest from beginning to end on a thrilling, jaw-dropping ride. The climax of this thriller is the most intense climax of 2014, my stomach hurt from pure excitement while watching it.
Of course, being primarily a character study, the main character needs a good actor to make you not feel bored or indifferent towards the character. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers the best performance of 2014, as he truly deserved the Oscar for Best Actor (Keaton did too, screw Redmayne) as you at no point see Louis Bloom as Donnie Darko or one of the cowboys of Brokeback Mountain, or even Bobble Boy (if anybody remembers that movie). He is simply amazing as Louis Bloom, as he keeps showing his creepy and psychotic side.
One of the best scenes of the movie is when Bloom moves the body of the car crash to get a great shot. There is no dialogue, just a good soundtrack and a the look of Louis Bloom as you see how much he enjoys recording these tragedies. A wonderful scene of marvelous directing and acting.
The supporting cast is also good. Russo is very good as Romina and I especially like Ahmed's character. You really feel sorry for him, as he is simply a desperate poor guy, who is looking for any kind of work. Sucks for him to stumble upon Louis Bloom. Oh and the cinematography is marvelous.
If there is anything I would have wanted more of, it would be having an even deeper look at the dark sides of media, but I guess there is only so much you can do with a well-planned running time of 117 minutes.
Nightcrawler is a dark, yet wonderfully twisted character study on an amazing character, played by an amazing actor. I am now very excited for Dan Gilroy's next movie, and Gyllenhaal is my current favorite actor. I recommend everyone to take a look at one the weirdest, but most marvelous movies of 2014.