Beyond creepy - Gyllenhaal was built for this

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2019)

As films go, this seems like an unassuming story - a journalist following stories in LA to make money photographing crime scenes - but nothing about Nightcrawler is to be expected. Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal on one of his strongest roles to date) is one of the most unsettling characters in film today, a disjointed, borderline criminal looking for both an adrenaline rush and easy money. Bloom is undoubtedly what makes this movie, but there is far more to it than just well-written characters.
The dynamic between Gyllenhaal and Rick (the role that brought Riz Ahmed to American audiences) shows how uneasy the atmosphere is, whilst the competition with rival cameraman Joe Loder (played by the late Bill Paxton) shows just how far some people are willing to go for money. The deeper the plot goes, the more Bloom treads the border of sanity and the law, making decisions that others would consider reprehensible. Nightcrawler is worth watching for the tension and the drama - but don't forget to appreciate the darkness of LA's criminal underbelly.