Jake Gyllenhaal's great acting spoiled by a poorly executed production.

Rating: 5/10 (5 November 2014)

Upon first glance, this film had a lot of potential; however, I found myself quickly let down by re- occurring, pointless add-ons to the plot. Credit where credit is due, regarding Gyllenhaal's performance. He did a great job playing an intriguing character who develops as the film unfortunately barely scrapes along. The plot as a whole leads you to believe you're watching a gritty L.A. crime thriller, which it essentially is; however, the whole thing was executed poorly and I felt like it wasn't even taking itself seriously at times. It kind of revives itself a few times but then leaves you thinking the writers could have done a better job. On a lighter note, the film was shot really well with some gripping scenes. I would have liked to have seen a more insightful look on the life and past of Gyllenhaal's character. It would have been interesting to have fully understood his motives rather than saying "oh, he just needs a job". As for the events in the film, it's difficult to get a grasp on when everything is happening. As you're watching, it seems all these horrendous crimes are being committed night after night. If this wasn't intended by the writers, they should have added more scenes of the demise of Louis Bloom's mind. The news broadcast scenes, i felt, were over-exaggerated and tacky which (considering the whole premise of the film) is a major let-down, in my opinion.
Well shot, well acted (for the most part). Badly produced.