Thrilling Performance by Gyllenhaal in "Nightcrawler"

Rating: 9/10 (25 October 2014)

Jake Gyllenhaal fits perfectly in "Nightcrawler", an intense, twisted and darkly comedic directorial debut by Dan Gilroy. The film starts with the premise of a young man struggling to find work, following the common idea: "If you want something, go get it." While that may seem trite and uninteresting, the extra mile is taken here into making a very interesting and sometimes disturbing two hours.
The film develops a distinct visual style, casting a lot of its characters into the darkness of the night, accompanied by all the bright lights of the city and the story - the cameras, streetlamps, TV studio lights. Along with James Newton Howard's score, it gives off a very eerie mood that fits the night life of the film.
Throughout, we follow Gyllenhaal's character Louis Bloom, and right from the beginning we get a good sense of who he is, and what he will do to achieve his goals. He's brilliant and deranged, making for a very funny yet frightening character. As he delves deeper and deeper into his new work, the stakes get higher and higher, until the closing, which I personally enjoyed very much. Along the way, we are given intense action scenes and incredible performances by Gyllenhaal and the rest of the cast.
If you want to something refreshing and engaging, "Nightcrawler" comes highly recommended. Gyllenhaal succeeds in playing a man so despicable yet likable, and it is thrilling to watch him progress through the film. RATING: [8.5/10]