Solid script, solid performances, but for some reason it felt empty.

Rating: 6/10 (26 February 2015)

I came into this expecting a performance of a lifetime with a very creepy story. Jake Gyllanhal does a great job, (even if he's not as creepy as I thought he'd be) and the script is smooth and solid, but the film tries the whole time to be terrifyingly creepy, but is just kind of so so.
It does do a good job of grounding you in reality on the bloody crime of Los Angelos, and the nightcrawling TV reporters that go out of their way to get good shots for the news. It explores the fine line between doing your job and disrespecting and exploiting the dead for your own personal gain, but in the end it didn't leave as much of an impact.
All this talk about how Jake should have been nominated, I disagree. He was really good, not as creepy as I thought. He's smart talking and clever, but he doesn't leave enough of an impact to get you thinking.
A lot of the movie was me waiting for something to happen. It sets up the character and motivation well, it sets you in the right mood, but a lot of it was just me waiting for it to change. In the end with a few crazy twists here and there, I for some reason was not very intrigued. I guess the film is trying so hard to be creepy based on it's strong contrast in lighting, with a really dark toned film, but in the end it's not that creepy of a film. This kind of story could almost be a comedy or drama, not a dark thriller.
I give it props for its clever screenplay and decent performances, but I was hoping for something a tad bit more. Not bad, but was missing something.