Cinema has a new unforgettable character in Lou Bloom

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2015)

As a first film for Dan Gilroy - this is highly impressive stuff. Jake Gyllenhaall is obsessive, incessant and electrifying in his portrayal of Lou Bloom. Cinema has created another one of those memorably weird characters based on an utterly all consuming performance from the lead actor. For me the portrayal of this obsessive loner was chillingly believable on a Travis Bickle level. The supporting roles were all outstanding. The footage itself of the crime scenes and the driving scenes was fantastic to watch. You cannot help but notice the satirical critique of modern media and the collective thirst of viewers for macabre story lines. Lou Bloom operates in an underbelly of society as a nightcrawler. At first we admire his drive and fearlessness but this soon turns to disgust at the truly immoral and despicable lengths he is willing to go to get the results he wants. This is something I also find to be a critique of modern living - of the monsters that have been created in an unforgiving and detached society. A society where highly powerful corporations like the media can enable outcast, ruthless individuals to thrive in a dog eat dog environment. I did feel with the frantic pace of the movie and the increasingly risky behaviour of Lou Bloom that it was heading for a highly dramatic climax. In this respect I felt a little let down by the ending. This is something I was willing to overlook however as my resounding enthusiasm rests squarely on the shoulders of Gyllenhaal for a terrific and convincing psychological performance. So convincing that it serves as a chilling reminder - there are people like Lou Bloom out there.