Nightcrawler: Hating People but Wanting their Love

Rating: 8/10 (7 November 2014)

What made "Nightcrawler" intriguing after just seeing the trailer is the fact that the subject matter contains things we know exist but never seem to think about. We always see those "on the scene" videos used for news reports but we never give it a second thought. "Nightcrawler" gives us a deep, if perhaps exaggerated, look at this process and how these people are the guns for hire that we never know about.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a socially awkward loner who is self-motivated and determined to find his place in this world and be a success. We learn very early on that Lou will go to great lengths to find success and will almost do or become anyone to do that. He spots a car accident on the highway and stops as he sees a van park alongside and two men with video cameras get out and start filming the police officers vigorously try to rescue the woman in the burning vehicle. Lou inquires about a job from the head filmer Joe Loder, classic work by Bill Paxton, but is turned down. Another thing on Paxton, so great to see him getting work again and he delivers the line of the year"Welcome to the future.BRAH". OK, it might not seem that funny now, but when you see it and listen to his delivery of itpriceless.
Lou decides to take things into his own hands by getting his own camera, a police scanner, and meticulously learning all of the meanings of the codes on the scanners so he can arrive on the scene and get the best material to sell to the highest bidding news station. That bidder turns out to be Rene Russos' Nina, an over the hill former news anchor who is now a material editor and desperate to boost her ratings. Her and Lou strike a deal that has him exclusively getting first hand material and selling it to her stationa relationship that quickly becomes one sided as we really start to see the kind of person that Lou is.
As far as the performance goes, Gyllenhaal is dynamite here, a dark and brooding loner isn't necessarily new material for him but there are few other leading men out there who could pull off a low-key character that can scare the life out of you. Very Ed Norton in "Primal Fear"- esque. However, I would have liked to discover more about Lou and his past. He mentions that it might not be that he doesn't understand people but that he doesn't like them. I get that, but why then is always trying to get their approval? He is after money, sure, but he seems more concerned at being noticed and wanting to be loved and respected by others around him.
In the end, this is one of those movies that you will miss if you don't see it quickly and is destined for a future as a diamond in the rough in your Netflix selection. It is dark, Gyllenhaal is creepy, and his eyes are really bulgy (that might not seem significant but wait till you see themthey look like they're falling out of his face!) and I mean, what else are you gonna see this Halloween?...Ouija? Please.