Like a nightmare, but one that you want to analyse the next day

Rating: 9/10 (28 November 2014)

Nightcrawler dips its creepily long fingers into the underground world of freelance journalism and the ethical breaches that one is willing to make.
Director Dan Gilroy is reminiscent of a young Martin Scorsese in his creation of Nightcrawler's tone. Every shot is perfectly done, the editing is sharp, the score nails the tone of the movie at every opportunity, and the film has just the right lighting to create an aura of creepiness that you still want to pursue.
But it is the performance of Jake Gyllenhaal that makes Nightcrawler a discussion for the water-cooler. Just as Gilroy is reminiscent of Scorsese, Gyllenhaal is reminiscent of DeNiro's Travis Bickle. Gaunt and hungry, Lou Bloom is a full blown psychopath who the audience can appreciate (but certainly not understand!) just by watching the minute subtleties in Gyllenhaal's face. It is clear that Bloom has no idea how to interact with others, and self- teaches himself how to laugh and show emotion, when in reality he approaches humans in the same way that a fly batts at a window.
Nightmarish and creepy, Nightcrawler combines a fine directorial performance from Dan Gilroy with one of the finest and most disturbing male performances of the year. One of 2014's finest films.