Gyllenhaal Masters Creepiness in Scathing Satire

Rating: 8/10 (26 July 2015)

The script of Nightcrawler in itself is amazing - managing to be both witty and under-your-skin terrifying at once, it's a shameless look into the seedy underbelly of modern 24/7 media cycles. What I hadn't counted on was Jake Gyllenhall (whom I'd always liked a lot as a sort of Everyman protagonist) playing a sociopath, self-absorbed creep to a T. Honestly, his performance was disturbingly great; it was so easy to believe him as sleazy, repulsive Lou. I was also very impressed by supporting actor Riz Ahmed's portrayal of Rick, and look forward to seeing him again. In true satiric form, Nightcrawler makes you laugh while gazing unflinchingly into the business behind the news business, and will leave you with a lot to ponder. Definitely recommended.