What am I Supposed to say When the Police ask about the Manhole Covers?

Rating: 8/10 (10 November 2014)

The following review will contain spoilers.
Nightcrawler is a fun film that you can sit back and enjoy for nearly two hours. While some may not find the subject matter all that interesting, what the film makers and actors bring to the big screen is something truly special. The plot keeps you zoned in throughout the film, and the intensity builds throughout the film. This is sure to be one of the better films of 2014. The following is my review of Nightcrawler.
The film was written by Dan Gilroy(also director), who recently wrote films such as Real Steel and The Bourne Legacy. None of those two films that I mentioned blew me away, and I was surprised to see how enjoyable this film was overall. The story follows Louis Bloom(Jake Gyllenhaal) who is trying to find work anywhere possible. He even starts the film out stealing fencing and man hole covers for some quick cash. He happens onto an accident scene driving home and runs into a "Nightcrawler" who catches these accidents and other news worthy stories and sells the footage to the local news outlets for cash. He asks the Nightcrawler Joe(Bill Paxton) if he is hiring anybody right now. After not being able to land a job, Louis decides to start his own Nightcrawler business. After stealing a bike cycle at a local beach, he sells that for a video camera and a police radio so that he can hunt down these news worthy stories. The heart of the story comes later when Louis arrives to a home killing of three people even before the police show up. Not only does he capture footage of the criminals, but he gets first hand footage of what happened inside after the events. This leads Louis to withhold evidence from detectives so that he can gain credit for stopping these criminals later on. I won't go any deeper into detail other than that, but the story is gripping and it keeps your interest for the entire length of the film. With a fantastic behind the scenes look at what it is like for those who get the footage for our local news, Dan Gilroy delivers a great film and story.
Dan Gilroy also directed the film as I mentioned above. This is his first film he ever directed, and I must say the film looks fantastic. Set in Los Angeles, California, Gilroy delivers some fun and exciting views of the city, and even delivers on more intense action towards the end of the film. While there is nothing flashy that the general movie going audience may enjoy, people who enjoy a nice gripping story and some nice added depth from the director, should very much enjoy this film. The acting is also a fantastic aspect of the film. Jake Gyllenhaal dominates the role of a smooth talking man who will do anything for a job. Including taking things too far. With a nice secondary cast of Bill Paxton, Rene Russo, and Riz Ahmed, this film has nothing short of fantastic acting. Having Gilroy this perfect on his first outing as a director makes me really excited for his future. Gilroy delivers this intense thrill ride perfectly, and his efforts should not be overlooked.
James Newton Howard scored this film, and he is one of the bigger composers in Hollywood having recently composed the score for The Hunger Games and Maleficent. While you shouldn't expect any bombastic score in this film, Howard is still able to effectively deliver a nice deep score that adds onto the thrilling aspects of the film itself. The score is overall very good, not great, but it does add a great deal of much needed depth.
In closing, Nightcralwer is one of those films that creeps up on you, and then surprises most of the viewers, as the film is simply wonderful. After watching so many movies in 2014 so far, I can honestly say this is one of the better films of the year so far. Fans of a good thriller, with amazing acting, shouldn't think twice about seeing this movie. Dan Gilroy offers up a great film that should be considered one of the better films of the year, and it eagerly makes you want to see what he will do next.
8/10