Intelligent dark analysis of the news media industry

Rating: 8/10 (14 May 2017)

I've come to this a little late. Grabbed it when shown on the film channels here late one night and I was hooked. Jake Gyllenhaal is a great one for off-kilter films, and this one little disappoints.
What we have here is one of the most amoral characters we have seen on screen for many a year (Lou portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal), who finds a niche to ambulance chase crime scenes to film graphic moments and sell on to a local news agency without any regard for the victims or the circumstances. The lead character is robotic in his manner, and even though we see him at the start as a criminal we surprisingly see him manage to sink lower. He will do anything to reach his goals, and it's often an uncomfortable watch.
Rene Russo as a news lead for the media company is fabulous as we see her character find herself trapped in Lou's plans, and their interaction is thought provoking. Lou is the freelance news gatherer who will stamp over everyone in his path.
This film is all about having a stab at many items: the media glorying crime porn for ratings, the insatiable demand from the public feeding off this and the graphic crime that is the fuel for this craze.
You will still be thinking about this grim dark film long after. It is at times darkly humorous too, but it's not an easy one to digest.
A very timely movie, but we are already aware of the issues, but the grim reality there is little we can do unless the demand is quelled. It's a grim realisation that we come to conclude after watching this.