Chilling performance by Jake Gyllenhaal

Rating: 9/10 (7 November 2014)

Nightcrawler; so aptly named. It begins as we witness Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a seemingly harmless petty thief, assault a security guard for his watch. We see at once that this is no big deal for Louis, it's how he lives. The filmmaker reveals the depth of his insanity in tiny chunks until, by the end, I was pushed back in my seat, hand over my mouth, knowing what was coming but shocked and horrified just the same. Gyllenhaal's performance is flawless and terrifying. His benign demeanor is a perfect foil for the madness he hides inside. The rest of the casting was exceptional as well with Rene Russo as a veteran news producer whose moral compass was completely spun out. And Gyllenhaal's hapless partner Rick is just a kid trying to survive and gets drawn into something he never expected. All in all, a great film. I'd watch it again as I'm sure there were even more subtleties than I caught the first time through.