Gyllenhaal continues his hot streak with the excellent Nightcrawler

Rating: 9/10 (2 November 2014)

With Nightcrawler, Oscar season has officially kicked off! Jake Gyllenhaal is an actor whose career I've been closely following ever since the release of End of Watch in 2012, one of my favorite films of that year. Usually, I'm much more attentive to the writer/directors of films as opposed to the actors, but Gyllenhaal is someone whose talents I take an active interest in. With that, I'm excited to say that he may be at his very best in Nightcrawler. He stars as Louis Bloom, a freelance video journalist who specializes in filming bloody crimes that take place in LA and sells them to a news station directed by Nina (Rene Russo). Bloom's business success is by far his top priority and he will literally do anything to get the footage he needs, even if that means tampering with crime scenes and unlawfully entering private residences. It's obvious by his actions and general lack of emotion that Bloom is a sociopath, or something close to it, which makes him a very interesting kind of anti-hero to spend a couple hours with. The audience roots for him simply because he is the most fleshed out character in the film, but it seems Dan Gilroy's main objective is to make the audience hate Bloom by the time the credits roll. Yes, he's socially stunted, and many of his exchanges with Nina and his assistant are quite awkward, but therein lies the surprising humor of Nightcrawler. Bloom can make you laugh, which goes a long way in keeping him within the realm of audience association. Gyllenhaal is truly brilliant as Bloom, and not just because of his weight loss, hair, and haunting eyes. He plays a sociopath like a champ, and doesn't deprive the character of a personality like many actors may. Jake, with Nightcrawler, Enemy, Prisoners, and End of Watch as his latest movies, is on a hot streak that will hopefully continue for years to come. Rene Russo, who just happens to be the director's wife, is also the best I've ever seen her. Her strange chemistry with Gyllenhaal is one of my very favorite parts of Nightcrawler. Riz Ahmed and Bill Paxton also give memorable turns as Bloom's assistant and competitor, respectively. This is Dan Gilroy's directorial debut and he impresses with very good looking visuals, dark and grainy, that are reminiscent of a 70's crime drama. Gilroy had the privilege of working with cinematographer Robert Elswit, who is PTA's frequent collaborator as well as a DP for a couple films directed by Dan's older brother, Tony. The film was also edited by Dan's other brother, John, so I guess that he got quite a bit of help from his family and their connections. Nightcrawler is an excellent, tense piece of filmmaking, but it does have a few faults that keep it from being a straight-up classic. The score simply does not fit the movie. The atmosphere of the film begs for a soundtrack similar to Drive, something droning and meditative to fit the material. Instead, we get of mixed bag of distorted guitar, and what sounds like songs by Thomas and Randy Newman. I'm actually upset that Gilroy didn't capitalize on the amazing potential of a somewhat ambient score. The other flaw is the very ending. Up until the very last scene, Nightcrawler is edge-of-your-seat intensity. Then they tacked on a scene at the end that just feels out of place and unnecessary. If that one scene was dropped, and the music was changed, I'd consider giving Nightcrawler a perfect score. But as it stands, it's just a great film itching to be a classic.